Chen Fan followed his father to the study, with the "Nineteen Paths" in his sleeve pocket, and he was not in a hurry to show his father, but talked with his father. The chessboard they used was still seventeen, Chen's father's level was between six and seven grades, and Chen Fan's self-assessment level was between five and six grades.

"Fa Sheng, your chess skills have improved again, and you used to be clamoring for a father to give up your son, but now you can win as a father, not bad." Although Chen's father lost the chess, he still felt very relieved.

"Thank you for my father's teaching, I was studying chess during this time, and I occasionally got something, a few days ago I met Han Fuzi and Li Fuzi with my classmates in the tea house, and I also played a game with Han Fuzi, and I won by luck." Chen Fan said this not to show off, but to let his father have confidence in himself and make plans for going to the capital to compete. Without waiting for Chen's father to express his opinion, Chen Fan continued: "I found that the reason why I was able to win was related to my research during this period of time to increase the chessboard line from seventeen to nineteen, father, you see. After speaking, Chen Fan took out the "Nineteen Paths" from his pocket and handed it to his father.

"Yes, the article is easy to understand, the discussion is sufficient, but some of it is in the vernacular, why?"

"One is to make it understandable to most people; secondly, in order to use the vernacular to attract people's attention, a controversial article is often easier to spread; The third reason is that when most people oppose the vernacular, they tend to ignore the opposition to the 19th Road itself, which can reduce the resistance to the promotion of the 19th Road. Chen Fan felt that in this matter, it was nothing to reflect a little cleverness, and there were more smart people in this era.

"Very well, what do you need to do for your father?"

"There are three things I want my father to help me with."

"Oh, there are three so many? Let's hear it. ”

"The first thing is to find someone to spread this article on the "Nineteen Roads", the point is that this article was written by a fifteen-year-old boy, although the article is flawed, but it is also remarkable, and the intention is good. I have asked Ma Bo to send the "Nineteen Roads" to Tianshui Academy, to see if Tianshui Academy can try to play chess with the Nineteen Roads, and there is another one named Liang Xiu, who also promised to spread it in Gusu, but I still have to ask my father to help expand this range, especially in the capital. ”

"Okay, that's no problem. What about the second piece? ”

"The second thing is to find someone to make some nineteen-way chessboards, it is best to start with the merchants, so that when they sell chess, they can sell nineteen-way chessboards, make some more, and give them to some chess academies to expand the influence of "Nineteen Roads".

"That's fine, I promise you."

"Father Xie. This third thing is the most difficult, last time I heard my father say that this chess tournament was entrusted by His Majesty the Emperor Master Liu Hui to organize, I think this Master Liu Hui must be a very prestigious person, and won the trust of His Majesty the Emperor. ”

"Wait, you don't want Master Liu Hui to help you implement the Nineteen Paths, do you?"

"Why, father, where did you think of it?" Chen Fan glanced at his father, this brain circuit. Then he said: "We just need to let Master Liu Hui know that this is written by your son and me, in case we go to the capital to participate in the finals, Master Liu Hui knows that there are two of us." ”

Father Chen nodded and asked, "What do you want to do?" ”

"My father is more familiar than me in officialdom, I don't know if there is a way?" Chen Fan decided to inspire his father to think for himself first, and then improve it in his father's plan, which is better than directly saying the plan in his heart.

"This is a bit difficult, you can't let your father run to the capital, take the "Nineteen Roads" to Master Liu Hui, and say that this is what my son wrote, please give the master guidance?"

This really made Chen Fan speechless, his father was a six-grade official. Chen Fan decided not to say anything, so he stared at his father with his eyes to see what his father was about to say.

Seeing his son staring at him, Chen's father estimated that he couldn't come out without saying a way, and then said, "However, I can write a letter to your uncle and ask them to convey it on his behalf." ”

"How?"

"Let's just say that they have a nephew who made a "Treatise on the Nineteen Roads", and asked Liu Gong to evaluate it."

"Then why didn't my father write directly to Master Liu?"

"It's not enough to be a father, anyone can write a letter to Master Liu."

Again, it seems that this is indeed a problem.

"Father, has this Master Liu Hui ever practiced chess? Reaching the Innate Realm? ”

"The chess path must have been cultivated, but it is not clear whether it has reached the innate realm, and the innate realm is not so easy to achieve, especially through the chess path."

"Why is it not easy to pass the chess lane?"

"It is said that it is because the chess path is a small path, only focusing on spiritual cultivation, and it is necessary to feedback the physical body through spiritual power in order to enter the innate body, but how to feedback, no one can say a reason, unlike the martial arts to cultivate the physical body, and at the same time the spiritual condensation, the two are combined and enter the congenital, so there are few people who achieve the innate through the chess path."

"Father, I want to find someone to make a chessboard first, this chessboard should be precious, it should be made of the best silk silk, and the lines on the chessboard should be sewn with gold wire, I don't know how much it will cost to make it?"

"If you want to use gold thread, it will cost at least twenty taels of silver. And it's not something that ordinary people can do. ”

Very good, this is the effect you want, the price of things can't be too expensive, twenty taels is just right, the key is to be skillful, send a chessboard, others know, it's not a big deal, Chen Fan thought. Then he said: "My father wrote a letter to Master Liu Hui, saying that since the start of the Go competition, our county has been enthusiastic, everyone's love for Go is unprecedentedly high, my son is fifteen years old this year, loves Go, after the county competition, the county competition, I was fortunate to be able to participate in the finals of the capital, during this period, I also put forward the idea of increasing the chessboard to nineteen roads, which caused heated discussions among the people, and the rest of my life was a father, not very happy, and now attached the dog's "Nineteen Roads" and a pair of chessboards, I hope the master can consider using the nineteen ways chessboard as the rules of the competition, not very grateful! The main content is written in this way, and the specific aspects are considered by the father. ”

"Did you pass the county race?"

"Father, this letter is ready first, if I pass the county competition, it will be sent, if I don't pass the county competition, then everything will be suspended. However, in the meantime, my father can contact my uncle and listen to his uncle's thoughts on sending this letter, the county competition will not start for a while, but we must start preparing now. ”

"It's okay, if you send it after the county competition, it's still too late, I'll discuss it with your grandmother to see what to do, and strive to get this done."

"Okay, thank you, Father." Opportunities are sometimes earned by oneself, not by others, and must be planned as soon as possible, Chen Fan sighed in his heart.

The busy time is fast, on the third day after the end of the Go match, on the morning of August 13 of the 17th year of the Heavenly Prison, Master Jia came, this time it was not Master Jia alone, there was a swarthy man, about eighteen or nine years old, Master Jia only said that he was the son of the old man, surnamed Tie, Tietang, although he looked wooden, but he was powerful.

This time, Master Jia arrived, and did not stay in Chen's Mansion for too long, after lunch, Master Jia was about to hurry, Chen's father invited Master Jia to stay for a night before leaving, but Master Jia said that he had already made an appointment, and he would hurry together and wait at the city gate, so he would not delay. Chen's father did not force him to stay, but fortunately, the ship was ready and ready to leave at any time.

Chen Fan listened and secretly wondered, it turned out that Master Jia had already planned for returning to Gusu, and had already made arrangements, it wouldn't be to avoid anything, right? But now that we've taken precautions, there's nothing wrong with being safe.

Chen's father can't leave the place without permission because of his duties, this time he didn't accompany him, but sent Chen Fasheng's eldest brother to accompany him, Xiao Qing and Huang Shi followed, Chen Fan and Hou Feng naturally wanted to go, Master and Tie Tang, a few people's accompanying salute is also simple, only the eldest brother is a little more, fortunately, he brought four entourages, each carrying a burden, most of them are the apprenticeship prepared by Chen's father, which must be brought.

The group went out of Chen's mansion, prepared four carriages in front of the door, boarded the carriage, and went straight to the dock, the eldest brother took a carriage with Chen Fan and Hou Feng, and got into the carriage, Chen Fan couldn't help but ask: "Eldest brother, why don't you take the carriage directly to Gusu?" ”

"This is what Master Jia told his father before, hurry up by water. If we had traveled by land, we had brought so many salutes, the carriage would not have gone fast, and it would have been easy to encounter bandits. If there are too many followers, there are not so many horses, if they rely on walking, more than 200 miles, there is not a single one or two days that will not be able to walk at all. If you sail, you can arrive in three or four hours, and you don't get tired. The eldest brother explained.

If you rely on walking, it must be slow, it will take a day or two, Chen Fan can understand this. Normal people walk for an hour and ten miles, which is without rest, that more than 200 miles, it takes more than 20 hours to walk non-stop, and there must be a rest in the middle, it is indeed a long time, just a boat, it also takes seven or eight hours, it seems that it is not very fast, think about more than 200 miles, in modern society, drive a car, more than an hour can arrive, a comparison, the time on the road is indeed slow enough.

"Hou Feng, the last time you went to Gusu to report the news, how long did it take to walk?" Chen Fan suddenly remembered the last time Hou Feng went to Gusu, and wanted to know Hou Feng's speed, and by the way, if there was any secret walking technique in this era, he immediately asked.

"It took about two hours." Hou Feng replied.

"Two hours, that is, four hours, an hour and more than 50 miles, is equivalent to 25,000 kilometers per hour, which is about the same speed as a modern long-distance running champion." Chen Fan secretly thought, as far as Chen Fan knows, the long-distance running champion, 10,000 meters, takes less than half an hour, then the speed of Hou Feng can also be achieved in human history.

"Pretty fast, do you have any secrets? You can go really fast. Chen Fan asked curiously.

"This can be achieved by many people, Yan Hai is faster than me, and there is no secret, just run more and practice more." Hou Feng, a sincere person, replied.

Chen Fan was slightly disappointed when he heard Hou Feng's answer, not disappointed that he didn't hear the cultivation plan, but a little disappointed with Hou Feng's emotional intelligence. This question is actually to give Hou Feng a chance to show himself, the smart ones will run more and practice more to express their experiences, and the mediocre ones will reach the second half of the sentence, "There is no secret, just run more and practice more." In Chen Fan's view, the first half of the sentence will be added at the last time, which not only belittles the interrogator, but also belittles himself. But fortunately, Chen Fan knew who he was, and he didn't take it to heart, and was about to say something more, when suddenly the carriage stopped.