He smiled. "To tell you the truth, if before today, I had a hundred points of regret that I had never met General Thomas, now it has grown to a thousand points. Hey, even a disciple has this level of knowledge, maybe General Thomas has reached a height that I look up to. What a shame......"

"Your Excellency, General. This time it was Robin who spoke, and he had just listened very carefully to what both sides were saying. "One step deeper, what?" he looked at the battlefield map in wonder, racking his brains but couldn't think of anything more.

"Robin, you'll understand in a moment. Your current knowledge should only be the first layer. We can only see that this high ground is very important, but we cannot understand that this 'importance' changes in the early, middle, and late stages of the battle. Bayrell picked up the little pieces of paper representing the army and began to lay them out on the battlefield map one by one.

"Eshurufat, although many people say that tactical deduction is just a game, but I think that although it cannot replace the ever-changing battlefield, let alone determine a person's commanding ability, it can reflect a person's vision. Strategic vision, coupled with a good grasp of details, constitutes most of a general's abilities. Let's give it a try. ”

Ashrufat also picked up the little pieces of paper and began to arrange the "army" along the battlefield map.

As the night deepened, even the tavern began to dwindle in terms of customers, and the previous hustle and bustle gradually quieted down.

If it was normal at this time, Robin would have been lying under the covers. But now, he is fighting hard and watching the tactical deduction of both sides seriously. Beller chatted with Aerufat about Thomas without saying a word, so the speed of deduction was not fast. It must be noted that this kind of game is really simple, the two sides line up the chess pieces (now replaced by small paper heads), and if there is a battle, then the two sides negotiate to determine the winner. In the event of a disagreement, it is up to the referee to decide the winner (of course, this time the referee is Robin). Although Ashrufat hadn't played it before, he quickly mastered the essentials. The two sides played three rounds in one go.

Bayral has won two games in a row. And in the last game now, if Robin is not mistaken, Ashrufat has already lost. Béral set a clever trap at the crossing, and Aerufat, anxious to cross the river, was unexpectedly struck. His elite troops were trapped in the middle of the river, the heights in the rear were lost, and the front was intercepted by enemy infantry and cavalry. Even Ashrufat himself admitted that the force was trapped and dead. In order to wade across the river, it is impossible for the army to have a complete formation, so it cannot exert its combat effectiveness and is trapped by the enemy's inferior forces. And because of this, Bayral has gained advantages in both the north and south battlefields, and is turning the advantage into victory step by step.

"I lost. Ashrufat had to admit that he had lost the third game. And he understands that he is not failing because of luck or something, but that he is inferior to his opponent in vision. Bayral's understanding of terrain far surpasses his.

"It turns out that in this battlefield, the key to victory or defeat lies in the use of reserves. Ashrufat said. "It is necessary to keep a reserve on the north and south sides in order to be invincible. The key is the amount of time invested in the reserves. And the real value of the highlands itself lies in containing ......"

"No, you can't understand it that way," Bayral replied, shaking his head and smiling. "You're a little too sensitive. But that's not the right thing to say...... In fact, it seems to me that the essence of the matter is like this - there is more than one path to victory. If victory is seen as a flag on a hillside, there are infinite paths to the foot of the flag. ”

Beller looked at Aerufat. "Your failure is to focus too much on the high ground and ignore a lot of other details. Like this wading across the river, like the wet muddy ground on the edge of these two lakes...... There's a lot more of that that that you can take advantage of. On this battlefield, the control of the high ground is indeed where the elite lies, but it is not the whole thing. ”

"I've read General Thomas's book of war. Bayral pushed the tactical deductions off the table and poured a new glass of wine for himself and Aerufat. "Although I haven't written any military books, I have some similar experiences. ”

"In my opinion, there are three qualities of a general. The first is to know the 'right way', the second is to know the 'way', and the third is to know the 'outer way'. The so-called 'right path' is to know the state of the enemy, and through the myriad fogs that obscure vision, to gain insight into the truth of the combat power of both sides. And from this it is decided whether and when to go to war. The so-called 'general' is to take advantage of favorable terrain conditions to set up corresponding tactical arrangements to achieve the purpose of enhancing one's own combat strength and weakening the enemy's combat strength, so as to defeat the enemy. The so-called 'outer way' is to be able to make effective countermeasures when there is an unexpected emergency, and it is best to cause a miracle. ”

Bayral drank the contents of the cup in his hand.

Although all three are necessary abilities, there are still differences in details according to people's natural preferences. If what you're telling me is true, then Thomas is firmly on the right path. The other two, though equally proficient, are not lightly used—they are really the same as his military books. In the eyes of mediocre people, it is also a very mediocre thing, but only those who can really reach this level can know the meaning of the Tao. ”

"Ashrufat, why are you leaving St. Jean?" Suddenly, Béral changed the subject. But without waiting for Ashrufat to answer, he immediately continued.

"I know that no matter what happens, it's something you don't want to talk about. So I don't want to ask. I would like to say, if you may, come to Tiberius, and I will write a letter to His Majesty the King, detailing your abilities and origins. Although we are not a particularly wealthy country, there is absolutely no problem in giving you treatment that matches your ability. I'm sure that no matter how embarrassed the King's Majesty is, he will at least give you the title of Earl, and a corresponding fief as your domain. ”

He stared at Ashrufat, who shook his head slowly.

"I'm sorry, Lord Beller. Ashrufat replied softly. He now understands how lucky he is. If Tiberius had sent troops to help in the war according to the agreement of the Covenant of Mutual Assistance, then this man would have become the commander-in-chief. If in that decisive battle, his opponent was the man in front of him......

Although Ashrufat didn't want to admit it, he knew that if that was the case, the greenskin army under his command would not even want to see the walls of Oren. The plain where these two lakes and rivers intersect will probably become the place where his bones are buried.

"Sure enough......," Beller smiled, a self-deprecating smile on his face. "Forget it, don't mention this, everyone has their own ambitions. Another drink. ”

The two of them drank another glass of wine.

"Ashrufat, then I ask you, do you have ambitions?" After putting down his glass, Beller suddenly changed the subject.

"Yes, I have ambitions. This time, Ashruphat was silent for a while before replying. "I can't tell what I'm longing for, though. But every time I calm down, I can feel the fire of desire burning in the depths of my heart. I didn't want fame, status, wealth, women, family, or even myself, and I couldn't say exactly what I wanted. But I know that there is an emptiness in my heart, a gap in my heart, and what once existed here has been reduced to nothing. I want to fill this gap, I want to be whole again, I want to find my place. ”

"Look for the lost part of yourself. A flash of contemplation flashed in Beller's eyes. "Anyway, I hope you can succeed. You just said you're going to West Vania, right?"

"Yes. Ashrufat replied.

"Sivania is actually divided into three parts: Via, Istria and Meno. Among them, Via is the territory of our Tiberius. Baylor said, feeling something out of his bosom, a metal seal. "This is my personal seal, if you encounter any difficulties in Via, you can take this thing and ask the local lord for assistance. I don't dare to say that it is 100% effective, but how much they will sell a little face...... At least it won't be a problem. ”

Ashrufat did not refuse, and put away the other party's gift.

They drank a few more glasses, and Ashrufat got up to take his leave.

"Well, I hope to see you again in the future. Your 'half-beast' servants are impatient. Beller chuckled.

"Ah......h

"She's climbed up to the window two or three times in a row to confirm your presence. Bayral explained with a smile. "It's very light, but the window hinge here is a bit loud, so it's easier to see through. ”

Ashrufat left, and now only Beller and Robin were left in the room. Beller poured himself a glass of wine and took a thoughtful sip as his eyes fixed on the staircase where Ashrufat's back had disappeared.

"Isn't it time for us to go back, General?" Robin reminded. It was getting late, and there were still some guests on the first floor of the tavern, and only the two of them were left on the second floor. Of course, most of the candlesticks were also extinguished, so the light on the entire second floor was extremely dim at this time.

"It's enviable...... To be able to entrust a young man with his life's dreams and experiences, General Thomas is really happy. Béral poured himself another glass, and then he saw the look on Robin's face that wanted to cry without tears.

"Ah, Robin, don't get me wrong, it's not that you're incompetent. Beller hurriedly comforted. "Actually, you also have a lot of advantages. And in fact, it is not impossible for you to become a general, because there are many kinds of generals, and you just don't belong to my kind. ”

"General, last time you only gave a knight's promise, why did you become an earl this time?"

"This ...... Because I thought he just had potential, but now I know that he has experience as well. I asked him a lot of questions about Thomas just now, and paid a little attention to the time he was talking about...... If I'm not mistaken, he must have been involved in Thomas's most reluctant war, and had fought more than once with him or on his own. ”

"Experience?"

"Well, yes, experience. Let's put it this way, if you are inferior to your enemy, the worst thing you can do is to meet an experienced veteran as an opponent. Don't look down on experience, in fact, wisdom can't beat experience. ”

"However, I don't know what the future holds for Ishrufat. Bayral took a sip of his wine and continued. "Even if he were a genius, it would be impossible to learn Thomas's decades of battlefield experience in one year. So he must still need to accumulate a lot of experience. But with Ashrufat's current status, he may not be able to accumulate any further experience in this area for the rest of his life. Even what has been learned will be forgotten. It's a pity that Thomas discovered and taught. ”