On the second day of Xiao Beiyou's apprenticeship, Guo Songtao asked Xie Jiayao to take Xiao Beiyou to the practice ground of Guo's mansion, Xiao Beiyou took a look, this is really a good place to practice martial arts, there is a weapon rack on the left, there are various weapons on the rack, including knives, swords, guns, halberds, maces, sticks, spears, shields, axes, axes, axes, whips, hammers, forks, Ge, etc., on the right there are plum blossom stakes, sandbags, iron men, stone piers, stone locks, etc., Guo Mansion is the general's mansion, it seems logical to have a martial arts training ground, in other mansions, Xiao Beiyou has never seen a martial arts training ground.

Xiao Beiyou thought: "General Guo Lao really has a great disparity in status in the military circles, and he has set up a martial arts training ground in the palace, which is probably subject to the approval of the emperor.

Xie Jiayao said: "Beiyou, you are a chivalrous man, my grandfather asked me to take you here to see, maybe you will be interested, my grandfather is seventy years old, but his old man still insists on practicing here every day, so his body is very tough." ”

"Your grandfather is a surprising general, optimistic and bold, very good health, Guo Mansion has such a spacious martial arts training ground, but it is very suitable for your grandfather's character, Beiyou saw this practice dance field and liked it very much, when I was young, if I could grow up in this environment, maybe the kung fu would be even better than now, at least, I would be familiar with the use of more weapons. Xiao Bei lobbied, approached the weapon rack, took off a sword, and danced skillfully.

Xiao Beiyou's posture and movements are very elegant and chic, he seems to be performing rather than practicing swords, he dances swords. One move after another, the sword light is shining, like a dragon playing in the water, and the sword move is swung over, like flowing water.

Xie Jiayao stood next to her, looking at Xiao Bei's sword dance, she was stunned, she looked at Xiao Bei's sword dance, and it seemed that what she saw was not the sword dance, but the graceful dancing. Xie Jiayao seemed to feel that the flying sword in Xiao Beiyou's hand had a beautiful melody.

"Good swordsmanship. The posture is elegant and elegant, the sword moves are like flowing water, it is very good-looking, and the swordsmanship of Beiyou is really mysterious and wonderful. In swordsmanship. It seems that it is time for Master to become an apprentice. Haha!" At this time, Guo Songtao came, and he admired Xiao Beiyou's swordsmanship.

"Good grandfather. You're here, you've seen it, this apprentice of yours is not bad at swordsmanship, right?" Xie Jiayao asked.

"His swordsmanship is very mysterious, you don't want to think about it, Beiyou's swordsmanship is taught by Master Shi Taosheng, the mysterious master of the Hanging Temple, in today's martial arts, I'm afraid there are few people who can compare to him in swordsmanship, your grandfather has lived a lot of age, and he has never seen such a wonderful swordsmanship. Guo Songtao said.

When Xiao Beiyou saw Guo Songtao coming, he hurriedly stopped the sword in his hand and said respectfully: "Say hello to the master! Please don't praise the apprentice so much in the future, otherwise, the apprentice will be embarrassed, the apprentice saw that there were so many weapons on the weapon rack, he picked up the sword on the spur of the moment, danced a few times, and made the master smile!"

"Your swordsmanship is indeed very wonderful, the master did not praise you falsely, but sincerely praised you, think about it, your master Shi Taosheng's original 'Northern Soul Easy Sword' I don't know how many years to realize, this is very human swordsmanship can be compared, just now I saw your sword moves like a dragon playing in the water, very beautiful, the old man feels that watching you dance the sword is a kind of enjoyment. Guo Songtao said.

"Master loves his apprentice, so he will use words of praise to enhance his confidence, and the apprentice will definitely learn the formation from you. Xiao Beiyou deliberately turned to the topic.

"Master is very confident in you to learn the formation, since you can comprehend the true meaning of the 'Northern Soul Sword', it shows that your understanding is very strong, of course, you will also be able to comprehend the formation taught by the old man, as long as you learn with your heart, Master believes that you will be able to learn very well!" Guo Songtao said.

"Then please ask the master to start teaching the apprentice, the apprentice is already anxious and wants to understand the mystery of arranging and breaking the formation as soon as possible. Xiao Bei lobbied.

"Granddaughter, I heard your father say, you don't only know embroidery and piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, you also have a special martial arts, so that the 'Jade Girl Flying Silk Sword', since you can not only write, but also martial arts, then, from now on, you will work with Beiyou to learn the formation from your grandfather, anyway, the old man taught Beiyou, Beiyou will also quietly tell you, it is better to be taught directly by your grandfather, so that your grandfather has one more female apprentice, haha." Guo Songtao said.

"Great, grandfather, you are so good, my granddaughter loves you even more, Master is above, please let Jiayao's female disciple bow down!" Xie Jiayao said, bowing respectfully and saluting her "Master".

"Okay, the apprentice has saluted, you have to listen to the master's words, disciple Jiayao, you go and help the master get two arrows, the master is going to start teaching the formation." Guo Songtao said.

"The disciple received the order, immediately take two arrows!" Xie Jiayao said, ran to the weapon rack, took two arrows, and handed the arrows to Guo Songtao.

Guo Songtao held one arrow and put the other one beside him, he held the two ends of the arrow with both hands, and when he broke it with a little force, the arrow in his hand was immediately broken into two sections; Guo Songtao picked up the two arrows again, and broke them with force, breaking them into four sections.

Guo Songtao picked up another arrow, handed it to Xie Jiayao and said, "You come, break it!"

Xie Jiayao picked up the arrow, folded it hard, and also broke the arrow into two sections.

Guo Songtao took the two arrows in Xie Jiayao's hand and folded them into four sections.

Xiao Beiyou and Xie Jiayao watched Guo Songtao break the arrow, and they didn't understand his intentions for a while, at this time, Guo Songtao said: " Two apprentices, you see, holding an arrow, it is easy to break it, it is not difficult to break two arrows, now, the master has eight arrows in his hand, if these eight arrows are neatly put together to form a bundle of arrows, it is estimated that Beiyou can break these eight arrows together, but if it is broken by Jia Yao, it may take a lot of effort, which shows that an arrow is easy to break, and when several arrows are formed into one, it is not so easy to break, obviously, the overall strength is greater than the individual. ”

"Grandpa, the apprentice knows that individual combat is not as strong as forming a formation, and the strength of a team is greater than the strength of a single person. Xie Jiayao said.

"That's right, but if you call yourself 'grandfather', you should call yourself 'granddaughter', and if you call yourself 'apprentice', you should politely call General Guo 'master' and call him indiscriminately. Confused people. Xiao Beiyou deliberately made fun of Xie Jiayao.

"Haha, the role of the old man has increased, the 'grandfather' has become the 'master', Jia Yao likes to be coquettish, just let her call it whatever she likes, you can call it whatever you like, the old man should do it, you can be a granddaughter if you want, or you want to be an apprentice, whatever you like!" Guo Songtao said.

"Master. The apprentice also understood. You use arrows to illustrate the importance of formations, and it is difficult for a single soldier to defeat a formation, so the formation is very important in battle. Xiao Bei lobbied.

"That's right. And. You also have to pay attention. Eight arrows are different from one arrow, but this is only due to the difference in the number of arrows, which is simply the addition of numbers. In the formation, between the members of the formation, it is not a simple addition of quantity, but a qualitative improvement, the formation of eight people, its strength is greater than that of eight people to fight together, this is a kind of overall effect, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Guo Songtao said.

"Disciple understands, if the parts are well coordinated and coordinated, then the power exerted by their composition of the whole is not just a simple addition of the strength of each part, but the whole that is optimized and combined, the power is greater, for example, if you play chess, if the car, horse, and artillery are well coordinated, it is more threatening than the car, horse, and cannon alone, and it is more likely to kill the old handsome, right, my grandfather master?" Xie Jiayao said mischievously.

"The disciple also understood that on the battlefield, the reason why it is necessary to unify command and move in unison is because the soldiers act according to the instructions and can form a whole and form a 'formation', so they can defeat the enemy; as the saying goes, 'unite as one', that is, because everyone is united and form a whole with the same pace, they can be invincible!" Xiao Bei lobbied.

"'Array' has a variety of meanings, through the constraints of certain norms, rules, oaths, etc., and the formation of a consistent group, when the team acts, it can show the 'formation', which is a relatively broad meaning of 'array', organized, into a team, there is a 'formation', sometimes it is said that 'the number of losers cannot lose the formation', which is also the meaning of this aspect; Formation', specifically includes the deployment of troops in battle by the army into a formation, as well as the formation of the warriors in the martial arts. Guo Songtao said.

"Master, in these two aspects, you are a master, you are a martial arts hero, of course you know how to set up the formation, you are a veteran of the battlefield, of course, you are very familiar with the army's arrangement, with these two aspects of experience, so that the master can integrate the ancient and modern, bring forth the new, and create a wonderful formation, Master, now that you have achieved it, you should teach your tricks to your two apprentices, hehe!" Xie Jiayao said to Guo Songtao mischievously and praisefully.

"You just like to be naughty, the old man has some actual combat experience, and has read some classics on the art of war, and is very interested in arranging troops, of course, he is very careful to study the art of war, so he understands the principle of arranging and breaking the formation better than others, and has some new ideas, from now on, the old man will gradually teach you what I know, you can rest assured. Guo Songtao said.

"The two 'formations' mentioned by the master, the apprentice seems to know a little, arranging the troops has always been a common strategy used by famous generals in key battles, for example, Han Xin took risks and skillfully used in the battle of Jingcheng. At that time, Han Xin and Zhang Er commanded tens of thousands of troops to cross the Taihang Mountain to attack Zhao, Zhao Wang Xie and Zhao army commander Cheng Anjun Chen Yu concentrated 200,000 troops at the mouth of Jingcheng, occupied favorable terrain, and prepared for a decisive battle with the Han army, Zhao State strategist Li Zuoche Jian yì Chen Yu sent 30,000 elite soldiers, detoured to attack the Han army's heavy grain and grass, and the main force of the Zhao army built a camp in front of the high, resisted danger and held on, so that Han Xin was in a dilemma, Chen Yu thought that the righteous teacher did not cheat, did not listen to the construction of the strategist Li Zuoche. In the middle of the night, he ordered two thousand light horsemen to hold a banner each and set up an ambush near the camp of the Zhao army along the path At dawn the next day, Han Xin led the army to attack Jingchengkou, the two armies fought fiercely, the Han army lost its flag and abandoned its armor, feigned defeat, and withdrew to the east bank, Chen Yu thought that the Han army had been defeated, so he commanded the soldiers in the barrier to rush out and pursue the Han army with all his might. Behind the Zhao army, the Han army lurking near the Zhao army camp took the opportunity to kill the camp, and replaced the Zhao army flag with the Han army flag, and they attacked Chen Yu's army from behind after controlling the camp, and the Zhao army could not break the Han army's forward Back water array', turned back and saw the Zhao army camp all planted on the banner of the Han army, wanted to retreat and was attacked by the Han army from the camp, the Zhao army was defeated, the Han army took advantage of the victory to pursue, in Langbei, the Han army defeated the Zhao army, killed Chen Yu, captured Zhao Wang Xie, in this battle, Han Xin skillfully used the "back water array", sent strange soldiers to raid the Zhao camp, pulled out the flag and changed the banner, the front and rear attack, Qi Zheng was used together, and won a complete victory, and achieved a typical example of "back water array" put to death and then born with less to win more. Master, this is the power of the array, right?" Xiao Beiyou spoke with great interest about the ancient war examples.

"You're right, the 'backwater array' is a famous example of war in history, and there are many typical examples of war like this, and you should carefully study them in the future, especially those examples of winning more with less, which are worth analyzing and summarizing. Guo Songtao said.

Xie Jiayao interjected: "Master, is the legendary Zhuge Kongming's 'Bagua Array' also a typical formation?"

"Folklore Zhuge Liang once made eight formations of stones on the side of the fish belly river, some people also said that they saw the remains of eight eight or sixty-four piles of stones there, however, the eight formations of Zhuge Liang described in the literature are just a few words, and the true situation of the eight formations cannot be deduced. Open the eight doors, it is very mysterious and wonderful, but, according to the research of later generations, the eight arrays are not so mysterious, the eight arrays with actual combat significance should be a kind of group phalanx, each array is surrounded by eight small arrays, the center of the eight arrays is commanded by the general, and the golden drum banner and the soldiers and horses directly under it are set up to form the middle formation force; Snakes and so on as a code name, in this way, the middle formation is organized into sixteen small formations, and the entire large phalanx has a total of sixty-four small formations, which is consistent with the number of eighty-eight sixty-four piles of stone relics in the Yubelly River stone ruins. According to the analysis of experts, if Zhuge Liang really used the eight array diagram at that time, it was to give full play to the power of the Shu army's crossbowmen to avoid the shortcomings of the Shu army's weak horse team, the eight array diagram formation is stable, convenient for all parties to echo, and it is a strong defensive formation, but this kind of formation is not conducive to rapid attack, can ensure no big defeat, but it is also difficult to have a big victory, it is a relatively conservative formation. Guo Songtao analyzed.

"The 'Eight Array Diagram' is very famous in history, was it not founded by Zhuge Liang? Have other military strategists used the 'Eight Array Diagram'? The apprentice is a little confused, please ask the master for advice!" Xiao Bei lobbied.

"'Eight Arrays' is sometimes called 'Bagua Array' or, 'Eight Formations of the Art of War', in fact, before Zhuge Liang there was a legend about the 'Eight Formations', it is said that Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor had a general called the Wind Queen, he founded the 'Eight Formations', the ancient literature flowed down the "Eight Formations of the Art of War Map", recording nine maps, one is the eight formations, and the other eight are eight formations, respectively, the sky covering the array, the ground carrying array, the wind raising array, the cloud hanging array, the dragon flying array, the tiger wing array, the bird Xiang array, the snake pan array. Guo Songtao analyzed.

"Is this a document that has been handed down to be true? If it is true, it means that the 'Eight Array Diagrams' existed at a very early age, and it was not founded by Zhuge Liang. Xiao Bei lobbied.

"Zhuge Liang has had a 'Eight Arrays' before, this is certain, someone found the Tang Dynasty military strategist, Changzhou Thorn Shi Dugu and the "Yunyan Guanfeng Hou Eight Arrays" tablet, the stele recorded in detail the Yellow Emperor and the Wind Queen's research and creation of the "Eight Arrays", since there is a tablet in the Tang Dynasty so recorded, at least it shows that the Yellow Emperor has attached great importance to the formation, but also shows that there are people in the Tang Dynasty who put the 'Eight Arrays' as the Yellow Emperor's famous general Fenghou founded. Guo Songtao continued.

"In the ancient military books, there must be a lot of records of formations, the master is familiar with the classics of military science in the past dynasties, can you tell the apprentice again, and are there any other famous formations that have been handed down?" (to be continued......)