Chapter 59: Let the Cadres Study Properly First

"Chief Chen, how much cheaper will this be after the discount?"

A formal citizen pushed to the front and asked eagerly.

Chen Tong smiled and explained patiently.

"Formal citizens can enjoy a twenty percent discount. That comes out to just seven hundred and ninety-nine wen per kettle, and the basins have the same discount. You can save quite a bit."

"These are rare, high-quality goods, so don't miss out."

At this moment, a grey-haired elder shook his head and said,

"Chief Chen, this price is still a bit high. Can it be any cheaper?"

Chen Tong stepped forward, patted the elder on the shoulder, and said,

"Elder, just look at how good this item is. It is sturdy, durable, and will last for many years. Besides, this is already the discounted price; it truly cannot go any lower."

"Rest assured, however, that our Black Wind City will surely have even more high-quality and affordable goods in the future."

Encouraged by Chen Tong's introduction and persuasion, quite a few formal citizens felt tempted and began to open their purses.

A young man happily paid for his purchase, holding the stainless steel kettle and refusing to put it down.

"This is wonderful. From now on, when I go out to work and bring this kettle along, I'll never have to worry about the water turning cold so quickly."

Meanwhile, the temporary citizens watched the others make their purchases with eyes full of envy.

As the construction of Black Wind City unfolded in full swing, Chen Tong keenly sensed a tricky problem.

At first, when the population was small, various commands could be successfully communicated and executed through word of mouth.

Nowadays, however, as the population of Black Wind City grew and matters became increasingly complex, relying solely on verbal instructions proved inadequate.

Often, orders became distorted as they passed through multiple layers of transmission, causing work efficiency to plummet.

Chen Tong realized that he had to rely on paper documents to issue and spread commands, but this brought up a major challenge: most of the key officers were illiterate.

One day, Chen Tong summoned the main officers to the council hall. The atmosphere in the room was heavy, and everyone sensed that this meeting was unusual.

Resting both hands on the table, Chen Tong swept his gaze over the crowd and said sternly,

"Brothers, as Black Wind City has developed, our scale has grown larger and larger. The old way of passing down orders no longer works."

"From now on, we must rely on written documents to communicate. But look at yourselves—except for Old Seven Zhao and Qing霜 Xie, none of the rest of you can read or write. This simply will not do. Therefore, I intend for all of you to start learning how to read and write."

As soon as these words were spoken, Tiger Xie was the first to jump up. His face flushed red as he shouted loudly,

"Chief Chen, what is the use of learning to read and write?"

"We are rough men who hold swords and guns. If you want us to go into battle, one of us is worth two, but as for this book-learning, we are truly not cut out for it, nor do we have any use for it!"

As he spoke, Tiger Xie even slapped the table hard.

Meng Liu chimed in as well, saying,

"That's right, Chief Chen. Every day I have to train my men and manage all sorts of miscellaneous chores. I'm so busy I don't even have time to catch my breath—where would I find the energy to read?"

The other officers nodded in agreement, and for a moment, voices of opposition rose one after another.

Chen Tong had long anticipated everyone's resistance. Unflustered, he waved his hand, had someone carry out a sand table, and smiled as he said,

"Tiger Xie, don't be in such a hurry to refuse."

"Let's play a sand table simulation, treating it like a battle. If you win, we can discuss this matter of studying later."

"If you lose, you must obediently listen to me."

Upon hearing this, Tiger Xie's eyes lit up instantly, thinking to himself,

"How could I possibly lose at sand table simulation? This is my specialty!"

He puffed out his chest immediately and shouted,

"Alright, Chief Chen, let's spar!"

The other officers also grew interested and crowded around the sand table, ready to watch this contest.

The two men set up the sand table to simulate the battlefield situation.

The simulated battlefield this time was a valley terrain, with towering mountains on both sides and a long, narrow passage in the middle—a strategically vital location contested by military strategists.

Tiger Xie made the first move. Confident, he commanded his "vanguard forces" to charge rapidly into the valley passage, intending to capture this critical position in one stroke.

"My vanguard troops are all elites, fast and formidable in combat. I'll take the passage first and see how you deal with it."

Watching Tiger Xie's troop arrangement, Chen Tong smiled faintly and began deploying his own forces unhurriedly.

First, Chen Tong stationed a portion of his troops at the entrance of the valley, putting on a front of meeting the enemy head-on to draw Tiger Xie's attention.

Next, Chen Tong quietly dispatched two units of light cavalry to take a roundabout route along the trails on both sides of the valley, outflanking Tiger Xie from the rear.

While operating the pieces, Chen Tong explained,

"Look, Tiger Xie, my frontal feint attack here is actually meant to lure your main force. This is the art of 'making a feint to the east and attacking in the west' in military strategy."

"As 'The Art of War by Master Sun' says: 'Therefore, the art of war is not to rely on the enemy not coming, but to rely on our own readiness to receive him.' In warfare, you cannot simply hope the enemy won't come; rather, you must make thorough preparations and use illusions to confuse the enemy."

At first, Tiger Xie was brimming with confidence, commanding his "troops" to charge left and right.

As the simulation progressed, however, he found himself gradually sinking into a quagmire.

When Tiger Xie's vanguard troops penetrated deep into the valley, Chen Tong's frontal forces suddenly intensified their offensive, tightly blocking his forward route.

By this time, Tiger Xie realized that Chen Tong's light cavalry on the paths along both sides were about to outflank his rear, forming a posture of encirclement.

"How can this be?"

Tiger Xie frowned, beads of fine sweat breaking out on his forehead. He hurriedly adjusted his strategy, splitting a portion of his troops to block Chen Tong's light cavalry.

Yet with this reallocation, Tiger Xie's frontal attacking power was weakened.

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Tong's frontal forces launched a fierce charge, and Tiger Xie's vanguard troops began to fall into chaos.

Burning with anxiety, Tiger Xie attempted to pull troops back from the rear to support the frontal battlefield, but the light cavalry in the rear had already struck, cutting off his retreat.

At this moment, Chen Tong explained once more,

"This is 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao' in military strategy."

"Look, when I attack your rear, you are forced to disperse your frontal forces in order to rescue the rear, which allows me to gain the upper hand at the front."

In the end, Tiger Xie suffered a crushing defeat. Staring at his "defeat" on the sand table, he slumped into his chair with a look of extreme vexation.

Fading his smile, Chen Tong picked up a manual on military strategy from the side, handed it to Tiger Xie, and said earnestly,

"Look, what is recorded in here is the wisdom of the ancients and the strategies of marching and fighting. Everything I used just now was learned from this book."

"If you knew how to read and could understand these things, wouldn't leading troops into battle in the future be like adding wings to a tiger?"

"Learning to read and write is not just for transmitting orders; it is even more so for broadening your knowledge and elevating yourself."

Tiger Xie looked at the military book, then looked at Chen Tong. After a moment of silence, he nodded heavily.

"Chief Chen, I understand. I will study!"

Seeing Tiger Xie yield, the other officers also expressed their willingness to learn.

Thus, a wave of enthusiastic studying swept through the officer ranks.

Chen Tong invited Old Seven Zhao and Qing霜 Xie to serve as teachers, setting aside time every day to lecture everyone.

At the beginning, everyone found the learning extremely difficult. Their brush strokes were crooked, and Meng Liu's rendering of the character for "person" looked twisted and winding like an earthworm, drawing roars of laughter from everyone.

Encouraged by Chen Tong, however, they all gritted their teeth and persevered.

Chen Tong was not satisfied with just this. Feeling that the formal citizens of Black Wind City also needed to elevate their cultural literacy, he gathered the crowd in the plaza and announced in a ringing voice,