Chapter 31: Yun's Vindictiveness

To be honest, while Deng Qiang had never held children younger than himself in high regard, he had never been quite as arrogant as he was now. From a young age, he had been taller and stronger than his peers, which led his father to take him along with merchant caravans when he was only eight or nine.

Because he spent little time with other children and far more with adults, he eventually began to view himself differently. *Am I really in the same class as you brats? I am a man of the merchant caravans, while you are still playing in the mud.*

Back then, it was merely a subtle, internal sense of superiority, not the blatant, nose-in-the-air insolence he displayed now. The real problem was Uncle Li. After rescuing him, Uncle Li was so overjoyed that he constantly told Deng Qiang his destiny as a military commander was brilliant, and that he would surely become a great general who would shake the foundations of the world.

Deng Qiang was only thirteen or fourteen at the time, his temperament still unformed. Coupled with the fact that Uncle Li’s group was clearly far more powerful and formidable than the caravans he had previously traveled with, the constant praise from such "impressive" people caused Deng Qiang’s ego to balloon. He began to believe that as someone destined to command vast armies, there were few in the world worth his notice.

Yun-ge heard Deng Qiang’s muttering, and it was likely Li Fu did as well. However, seeing that Li Fu said nothing, Yun-ge held his tongue, though he took careful note of it.

Nothing much happened afterward, except that there was one extra person at dinner that evening: Deng Qiang. Yun-ge was surprised to discover someone who could eat so much; Deng Qiang polished off three or four large bowls of millet and still wasn't full. The Li family members had modest appetites, and Mother Pan usually cooked with precise portions. It was a rare occurrence for the food to run out, and Mother Pan had to quickly cook more.

By the time he finished, Deng Qiang wiped his mouth and noticed that everyone else had already stopped eating. Many were looking at him in astonishment. Only then did Deng Qiang feel a pang of embarrassment, wanting to say something but unable to find the words. When he ate with Uncle Li’s group, their appetites were equally massive, and they all shoveled down big bowls of food, so he hadn't thought anything of it. But now, by comparison, he felt a sense of humiliation.

Yun-ge had long since finished his "infant" portion. Yi-ge, who was usually restless during meals, seemed to be infected by Deng Qiang’s hearty appetite; he kept opening his mouth wide and eating happily, rather than his usual habit of playing with his food and scattering it everywhere.

"To the study."

Deng Qiang stood up quickly and followed Li Fu obediently. Yi-ge was carried by a maid, while Yun-ge, wanting to stretch his legs, held a maid’s hand as he walked. For some reason, ever since that dream, Yun-ge felt brimming with energy. He slept better every night, rarely dreaming, and woke up feeling refreshed. During the day, he felt full of vitality, lacking the drowsiness he used to suffer from. Strangely, Li Fu always seemed to worry that his health might be poor. Just last night, before he was fully asleep, he heard Li Fu tucking in his blanket and speaking to Xin-niang with deep concern about his physical condition. Yun-ge didn't know what to make of it.

Once they reached the study, the maids left. Li Fu, understanding the value of teaching according to one's aptitude, first asked about Deng Qiang’s progress, only to find that he knew even fewer characters than Yun-ge. Consequently, like Yun-ge, he began with character recognition before practicing calligraphy. Yi-ge was there mostly just to participate.

Today was like any other. Yun-ge was writing slowly. When his wrist grew tired, he glanced over at Deng Qiang. Deng Qiang was unused to holding a brush; the small twig felt awkward in his hand, and despite the winter chill, sweat was beading on his forehead.

Yun-ge’s eyes darted about, and he shifted closer to Deng Qiang. "Do you want me to teach you? I teach Bu Hong and Gouzi, and they both say I’m a good teacher."

Deng Qiang was startled by Yun-ge’s sudden voice and nearly lashed out. When he realized what the child had said, his face turned bright red, and he snapped, "No need, you brat."

Yun-ge was displeased. "That’s not right. Uncle Li said you’ll be a great general, which shows that everyone has their own strengths. Look at me—my father is a magistrate. Even if Long County is remote, passing the imperial examinations shows he is very learned. Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the son of a rat knows how to dig a hole. As my father’s son, I naturally excel at reading."

Deng Qiang looked down on "brats," but he wasn't entirely stubborn. What this little boy said actually made some sense. However, he couldn't bring himself to learn from someone as young as Yun-ge; it would be too damaging to his pride. Besides, he had just snuck a look and realized that the characters Yun-ge wrote on the sand tray were indeed better than his. That made it even more embarrassing.

Yun-ge looked up at Li Fu, who was still reading. He saw that his father had noticed them whispering, but Li Fu, respecting Yun-ge, said nothing and continued reading to create an atmosphere for Yi-ge. Seeing that Deng Qiang hadn't agreed, Yun-ge pointed to the sand tray. "Fine, you don't have to learn. But have you ever played a war simulation game on a sand tray?"

Deng Qiang had little interest in characters, but as soon as he heard the word "war," he was hooked. "What game? I haven't."

Yun-ge beamed. "We make a large sand tray, put little artificial hills, rivers, and roads on it, and use small stones to represent our soldiers. We treat the terrain on the tray as a battlefield and try to find ways to break through the other side's forces. Have you played that?"

It sounded fun. "You have?"

Yun-ge shook his head. "No, that’s why I’m asking you. Look at Yi-ge—he’s too young to play. But you’re so much older than me, surely you can?"

Deng Qiang agreed immediately, looking quite impatient. With the game decided, they began their plans the next day. Li Fu had to work during the day, and while Yun-ge couldn't leave the residence, Deng Qiang could. Their plan was for Deng Qiang to go out daily, commissioning a large sand tray one day and finding small mountain models the next, accumulating pieces little by little, much like ants moving house.

However, no matter how much potential Deng Qiang had, he was still just a child. After his first trip to get the sand tray, Uncle Li, who had stopped by to check on him, noticed something was amiss. Under questioning, Deng Qiang confessed everything. He might not have told anyone else, but Uncle Li was his savior; he didn't want to lie to him.

He expected to be scolded, but instead, Uncle Li simply told Li Fu what the boys were planning. Li Fu then spoke to Yun-ge, telling him to focus on his studies and that he would handle the sand tray.

War-simulation sand trays had actually existed for a long time, dating back to the Eastern Han Dynasty, as recorded in the *Biography of Ma Yuan* in the *Book of the Later Han*. When the Emperor Guangwu was planning to campaign against Gongsun Shu, who held the Shu region, Ma Yuan used a pile of rice to create the first sand tray to demonstrate his strategy. Since then, the use of sand trays had gradually spread. Yun-ge was intelligent and, having learned to read, often browsed through miscellaneous books; he had likely read about them somewhere.

Li Fu wasn't surprised, but he was curious to see how the boys intended to play this "war game." Seven or eight days later, Li Fu returned from work having asked the county lieutenant to help bring back a massive box.

At dinner that night, Yun-ge and Deng Qiang ate with lightning speed, and even Yi-ge was devouring his food.

In the study, Yun-ge rushed straight to the large box. He happily walked around it, noting the blessings carved into the top and bottom: "One gift for each year, an inch of joy," and "Year after year, may all things be favorable." As Yun-ge read the words, he was filled with delight. His father had clearly hired a master craftsman to make this, putting in significant effort. Even before opening it, the depth of Li Fu’s love for his children was evident.

"Open it, open it!" Yun-ge was impatient.

Deng Qiang rubbed his hands together. Li Fu set Yi-ge down and pressed a spot on the side of the box, which popped open with a thud. Inside, tucked against the side, was a large wooden sand tray, followed by a variety of scale models.

"Wow, this is so exquisite!" Yun-ge hadn't expected it. The miniature hills, stone bridges, rivers, horses, and even the hand-molded soldiers looked incredibly lifelike. Yun-ge had originally suggested using small stones as soldiers, but now, not only were there many figurines, but there were also tiny bows and arrows, wooden swords only a few centimeters long, and even little bags of grain and supplies. Li Fu had essentially had everything needed for war manufactured.

Yi-ge loved it the moment he saw it and started clamoring to play. However, he was used to Yun-ge managing his toys, so he simply gazed longingly at him. Yun-ge sifted through the models and picked out the largest wooden horse, handing it to Yi-ge. It was sturdy, couldn't be broken by chewing, and was large enough that Yi-ge couldn't swallow it. Satisfied, Yi-ge sat on the floor and played with the horse.

"Come on, let’s start! Father, you help too."

Li Fu was also excited. "What do you want me to do, Yun-ge?"

"Father, you set up the geography on the tray. Today, I’ll be the attacker, and Deng Qiang, you defend. Let’s begin!"

Deng Qiang’s competitive spirit was instantly ignited. Li Fu, a scholar who loved reading all sorts of books, was perfectly capable of setting up a reasonably logical battlefield.

"Deng Qiang, aren't you going to send anyone to guard your supply lines?"

They had been playing for three or four rounds, and Deng Qiang had lost every single one. Growing increasingly frustrated, he snapped, "My side has many mountains and thick forests; the supply route goes through narrow mountain paths. Even if I don't send guards, are you sure you can find my path after all that trouble?"

Yun-ge goaded him, "That’s even easier. Since you haven't burned the fields or cleared the area, I’ll just capture the hunters from the villages within a ten-mile radius, and either bribe them or threaten them into taking my soldiers through every small path nearby. Those hunters spend their lives in the mountains and know the way well. With so much grain passing through those paths, I don't believe you haven't left a trace. With those hunters searching every corner, I’ll find your supply line eventually."

"What if your luck is just bad!" Deng Qiang said unhappily.

"Fine, even if my luck is bad," Yun-ge countered, "don't forget that your city only has one source of running water. If I heavily pollute the water supply, with all those people and horses to feed, what will you do then?"