I run a training class in Shu Han

Chapter 34 A Battle of Wits: Empty Talk

Competitive recruitment?

What tricks is Your Majesty up to?

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan, watching with great interest.

"It's too far away, I can't hear you. Come closer with me."

"Yes, Prime Minister!"

Although it was the first time Ma Su had heard of "competitive recruitment," he quickly understood its meaning.

Since he was going to defend himself, he naturally had to demonstrate some genuine talent and ability to convince the public. He cupped his hands and said, "I will obey Your Majesty's decree."

"Well done, Military Advisor Ma!"

"It is truly a fortunate occasion to witness the talents of the renowned scholars of Xiangyang today."

"This is the first time I've seen this method before; it must be quite amazing."

When academic competitions are held, the common people enjoy the excitement and cheer enthusiastically.

Liu Shan said, "Since I set the topic, then you, Military Advisor Ma, can choose your opponent. That would be fairer."

Ma Su looked at the imperial edict, which listed mostly people he knew, and whose seniority and ability were no less than his own.

This will create new problems.

Regardless of who is chosen, if they win, they will replace their own spot, which would damage the harmony among colleagues.

Moreover, they are skilled at selecting their opponents, fearing they might not be able to defeat them.

Choosing someone with average ability might lead outsiders to misunderstand that you won unfairly.

After much hesitation, Ma Su forced a calm expression and said, "Ma Su wants to prove his talent and learning, so he is not afraid of any opponent. He will follow His Majesty's arrangements."

So confident?

You may be good at writing articles, but when it comes to practical political affairs and leading troops into battle, I can only laugh.

Liu Shan knew Ma Su's capabilities; he could easily win by picking any two players from the advanced class.

But the goal is to win people's respect and acceptance, rather than using the strong to bully the weak.

"Many officials in the advanced class were promoted through special procedures. To ensure fairness, I will select two from among them to compete with you."

Liu Shan glanced at the end of the imperial edict and quickly locked onto his target.

"Wen's ancestral temple is virtuous and beautiful..."

"The one with martial prowess is none other than Wang Ping and Wang Zijun, whom you all have questioned. What do you think?"

Zong Yu is from Nanyang. He followed Zhang Fei into Sichuan and is now the chief clerk of the Prime Minister's office.

Wang Ping was a Yamen General, and the two were not much different from Ma Su in terms of official rank.

Upon seeing these two men, Ma Su's confidence soared.

Zong Yu was previously a general under Zhang Fei before coming to the Prime Minister's residence. He abandoned his military career for a literary one, and his knowledge and experience were inferior to mine.

Needless to say, Wang Ping is a reckless man caught in a cheating scandal. As long as it's not a contest of weapons, he has a better chance of winning.

Where is Zong Yu?

Dong Yun asked in a loud voice.

"Your humble servant is here."

Today the results were released, and almost everyone who took the exam came, including Zong Yu.

Liu Shan was very satisfied to see that he showed no fear on his face.

"I want you to compete with Military Advisor Ma. The loser will have to give up their spot. If you don't agree, I will find someone else. I will not force you."

"This humble official is willing," Zong Yu replied without hesitation.

Liu Shan nodded and looked at Wang Ping.

"This humble general is willing!" Wang Ping nodded in agreement before Liu Shan could ask any questions.

Wang Ping was wrongly accused of cheating and wanted to prove his innocence. Now that the opportunity had come, he naturally wouldn't let it slip by.

"Very well, all three of you are virtuous ministers of our great Han Dynasty. This competition should be regarded as an exchange of knowledge and political skills. Please display your knowledge, speak freely, and refrain from empty talk."

After Liu Shan gave a brief opening speech, Dong Yun ordered two tables and writing implements to be brought in, and announced in a loud voice: "The first exam is a written test. The questions were personally selected by His Majesty and concern the current state of our nation's relations. You two may begin answering the questions."

After exchanging bows, Ma Su and Zong Yu took their seats and began answering questions.

The onlookers gradually quieted down, lowering their heads and whispering amongst themselves.

"Ma Canjun is a man of great literary talent. His elder brother, Ma Liang, once served as an envoy to Eastern Wu. This topic is clearly advantageous to Ma Canjun."

"Indeed. I've never heard of Zong Yu before; he must be an unknown figure. How could he possibly be a match for Military Advisor Ma?"

"I observe that Zongyu possesses the demeanor of a military general. How can a mere warrior govern?"

"It seems that Ma Canjun will definitely win the first match, so there's no need to continue with the second match."

The people were talking about it, but Wang Ping was deeply worried.

He had hoped to prove himself through this competition.

But if Zong Yu loses, there's no need for him to continue that match.

Zong Yu and Zong Yande, you'd better give me a push!

Liu Shan, on the other hand, was quite relaxed.

His understanding of Zong Yu was limited to the cards he saw, which depicted him as a civil official.

However, since he comes from the expansion pack of "Strategy and Maneuvering," it means he possesses a certain level of diplomatic ability.

The two men's pens moved swiftly and decisively on the bamboo slips, demonstrating their profound understanding of diplomatic relations.

About fifteen minutes later, Ma Su stopped writing, and the officials stepped forward to collect the bamboo slips and hand them to Liu Shan.

"Military Advisor Ma is confident and composed as he writes, he is sure to win."

A low murmur rippled through the crowd.

Liu Shan remained silent, slowly opened the bamboo slips, and began to read quickly.

Just as he closed the book again, Zong Yu finished writing and presented it.

After Liu Shan had finished reviewing the two men's case files, he asked, "Before I begin my evaluation, I have a question for you two ministers: How should the diplomatic relations of the Han Dynasty be now? Tell me in one sentence."

Ma Su was the first to bow and say, "Wei is strong and Han is weak, and Eastern Wu is obsequious. We should unite with Wu to resist Wei."

Zong Yu then added, "My opinion is the same as that of Military Advisor Ma."

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

In their view, Zong Yu was suspected of imitating and following the trend.

Liu Shan, however, disagreed.

Because the answer is obvious and the only answer, it makes no difference who came first or who came last.

"Very well, since you two ministers share the same opinion, I will now begin our question-and-answer session."

Ma Su and Zong Yu both straightened their chests.

"Military Advisor Ma, in your article you proposed an alliance with Wu against Wei. How should this alliance be formed?"

"We should send an envoy to Eastern Wu to explain the advantages and disadvantages and to renew the alliance," Ma Su blurted out.

"How do you explain the advantages and disadvantages?" Liu Shan continued to press.

"The world is now divided into three, with Wei being strong and Han and Wu both weak. Only by forming an alliance can the two countries resist Cao Wei."

"If I were the ruler of Wu, and wished to ally with Cao Wei to annex Yizhou, what would I do?"

"If Wei and Wu join forces, they may be able to annex Han, but the two will not become evenly matched. Wei will still be stronger than Wu. If Han falls, Eastern Wu will not be spared. It's a case of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'."

"No!" Liu Shan shook his head and said, "Sun Quan killed General Guan and seized Jingzhou first, and then he defeated the Han army at Yiling. Eastern Wu and our Han have a blood feud and are irreconcilable enemies."

"If I were Sun Quan, I would ally with Cao Pi and launch a joint attack to capture Chengdu. At that time, Eastern Wu would have the natural defenses of the Yangtze River and the fortified mountain passes, making it capable of sharing the world with Wei. What is the solution?"

Ma Su was suddenly stunned, clearly not expecting this to happen.

From a strategic perspective, the alliance between Shu Han and Eastern Wu was a long-term solution for peace and stability. Therefore, he never considered that if Eastern Wu were determined to send troops and entered Sichuan before Cao Wei could capture Hanzhong, it might actually lead to a situation where the world was divided equally.

Even if Eastern Wu were to acquire Yizhou, Cao Wei would still be stronger than Eastern Wu. Without an ally, how could Eastern Wu contain Cao Wei? The fate of the two states would be intertwined...

Liu Shan waved his hand to interrupt Ma Su.

"Everyone understands the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold,' but the key is that after Eastern Wu occupied Chengdu, it could close its borders and defend it, which is no different from having no allies at all."

"If that's the case, what's the explanation for Military Advisor Ma's actions?"

Ma Su's body trembled slightly. He wanted to speak, but couldn't get the words out. He stammered for a long time.

"Send an envoy to explain the advantages and disadvantages..."

Those present knew that Ma Su had lost his composure and was completely following the emperor's lead.

"Alright, let's end the debate here."

After Liu Shan interrupted, he looked at Zong Yu.

"Registrar Zong, tell us your strategy for diplomatic relations."

After Zong Yu bowed to Liu Shan, he turned to face the crowd.

"Although there is a three-way balance of power, one is strong and the other two are weak. The Han Dynasty needs to form an alliance with Eastern Wu in order to maintain the balance."

At this point, many students in the audience began to disagree.

"Ma Canjun has already said these words. If Zong Zhubu is just copying without any profound insights, then he should admit defeat early and not waste his breath."

Instead of getting angry, Zong Yu laughed at the students' ridicule.

Liu Shan said, "Chief Clerk Zong, I still have the same question: what if Eastern Wu insists on joining forces with Cao Wei to attack Yizhou?"

Zong Yu calmly said, "Cao Wei and Eastern Wu cannot form an alliance, much less attack Yizhou. This matter is not worth worrying about."

"How do you know?" Liu Shan asked.

"After Cao Pi usurped the Han throne, he needed to suppress internal opposition, implement new policies, and stabilize the court. It was difficult for him to organize troops in a short period of time to attack strategically important places such as Hanzhong and Jiange."

"Although Eastern Wu has won two victories at Yiling and Ruxukou, its national strength has been damaged. If it attacks Yizhou at this time, it may be difficult to prepare enough food and military supplies."

"Moreover, Cao Pi knew that if Eastern Wu sent troops, they would enter Chengdu before him. In order to restrain Sun Quan, he not only had to deploy troops at Ruxukou to prepare to attack Wu at any time, but he would also demand that Sun Quan's son be sent to Wei as a hostage."

"As for Cao Pi and Sun Quan dividing Yizhou, it seemed fair, but in reality it was extremely disadvantageous to Eastern Wu."

"Eastern Wu excelled in naval warfare, but land warfare was not their forte. Even after Eastern Wu captured Chengdu, they found it difficult to hold it. Instead, their division of forces left their Yangtze River defenses vulnerable, allowing the Wei army to capture the city."

"As long as the advantages and disadvantages are explained to Sun Quan, Sun Quan is more inclined to ally with the Han Dynasty than with Cao Pi."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

Listen, listen!

This is the answer I need.

You, Ma Su, spend all your time talking about forming an alliance with Eastern Wu, explaining the advantages and disadvantages.

The general direction is correct, but you have absolutely no idea how to do it, how to form alliances, or how to analyze the pros and cons.

What I need is a concrete plan, but all you've given me is a statement of pros and cons.

That's just empty talk.