After giving the instructions, Zhu Ping'an went out to train the soldiers, while his uncle Zhu Shouren, Hu Wei and Xia Qiang stayed in the general's tent.
"The war is about to begin. From what my nephew said, it will only take a few days. It seems like a fantasy to expect the Zhejiang Army to quickly improve its combat power within these few days. How can this be done?"
After Zhu Ping'an left, Uncle Zhu Shouren stopped pretending. The confidence on his face turned into a bitter face and he sighed.
"That's right. We don't understand military affairs, so how can we quickly improve the combat effectiveness of the Zhejiang Army in just a few days?"
Xia Qiang paced back and forth anxiously in the general's tent, like an ant on a hot pan, running around in circles and sighing from time to time.
"Brother Zhu, Brother Xia, why don't you sigh? As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang, let alone the three of us who are well-read in the books of sages. Let's work it out, and we can always come up with a solution."
Hu Wei stood up, walked forward and patted Xia Qiang on the shoulder, then patted his uncle Zhu Shouren on the shoulder, and said calmly.
"Does Brother Hu have a good idea?" Uncle Zhu Shouren's eyes lit up and he asked Hu Wei excitedly.
Xia Qiang also looked at Hu Wei with hope.
"Unfortunately, not." Hu Wei slowly shook his head under the gazes of the two and said calmly.
"Oh, why are you so calm? I thought you, Brother Hu, had a good idea." The uncle said disappointedly.
Xia Qiang was also disappointed.
"Although I don't have a good plan, I already have an idea. I just need the help of Brother Zhu and Brother Xia."
Hu Wei smiled slightly, like a military strategist with a brilliant plan.
"Of course, please tell us, Brother Hu. We will try our best." Uncle Zhu Shouren and Xia Qiang said in unison.
“Shh… ..”
Hu Wei put his finger to his lips, hushed them both, then walked to the window of the commander's tent and looked out quietly.
Then, he walked to the middle of the general's tent, waved to his uncle Zhu Shouren and Xia Qiang, called them over, and whispered to them.
"Brother Zhu, Brother Hu, how do you think our talents compare to Lord Zhu?" Hu Wei asked in a low voice.
"Brother Hu, why do you ask this? Although I don't want to admit it, I have to say that we are far inferior to Lord Zhu and cannot flatter him."
Xia Qiang didn't understand why Hu Wei asked this, but since there were no outsiders around, he just admitted it.
"Hehe, my dear nephew is still a little better than me." Uncle Zhu Shouren coughed and said shyly.
"So, we all have to admit that Lord Zhu is far more talented than us, has experience in leading troops in battles, and has made many military achievements... ... and we are not as knowledgeable as Lord Zhu. We have read a lot of books by sages, but have almost no knowledge of military tactics." Hu Wei put his arms around the shoulders of the two men and said in a low voice.
"Brother Hu, what exactly do you want to say?" Uncle Zhu Shouren and Xia Qiang interrupted Hu Wei in confusion.
"What I want to say is, how can we improve the combat effectiveness of the Zhejiang Army in a short period of time? We need to ask Master Zhu for advice."
Hu Wei said meaningfully.
"Brother Hu, what are you thinking? This is the task assigned to us by Lord Zhu. Should we go and ask Lord Zhu for advice?! Haha, Brother Hu, do you think it's appropriate? Isn't this equivalent to our voluntary surrender?!"
Xia Qiang shook his head in disbelief, strongly opposing Hu Wei's words.
Uncle Zhu Shouren shook his head in disappointment. He thought Hu Wei had some good ideas, but he didn't expect it to be just this!
The two were about to leave as they talked.
Hu Wei put his arms around their shoulders and pulled them back, whispering, "Listen to me, guys. The war is imminent. Lord Zhu is the commander-in-chief of the Zhejiang Army. In addition to giving us orders, he must have been thinking about how to quickly improve the combat effectiveness of the Zhejiang Army... Lord Zhu's thoughts and ideas must be far better than ours. What's more important is that if we can answer Lord Zhu's thoughts, like a confidant, can there be a better answer than this?"
"No! But, Brother Hu, have you ever thought about how we can know what Mr. Zhu is thinking?"
Xia Qiang shook his head again.
"Yes, Brother Hu, do you want to pry open my nephew's head? But even if you pry open his head, you can't get what my nephew is thinking. Your idea is good, but it's too unrealistic."
Uncle Zhu Shouren shook his head with some regret. Hu Wei’s idea was good, but it was a pity that it was difficult to realize.
Hu Wei looked at the two of them and laughed.
It's already this time, and you're still in the mood to laugh. Uncle Zhu Shouren and Xia Qiang looked at Hu Wei with dissatisfaction, "Brother Hu, what are you laughing at? Could it be that you also know the Miaojiang mind-reading magic?"
"Haha, although I don't know the mind-reading magic of the Miao barbarians, I can know what Master Zhu is thinking."
Hu Wei chuckled and deliberately kept the other person in suspense, saying that he really enjoyed the time when Xia Qiang and Shouren were all confused and he was the only one who was smart.
This is how things should be between them. He, Hu Wei, is the one who is in charge of wisdom and strategy among them, and he is naturally the first one.
"Brother Hu, since you don't know how to read minds, how can you know what my nephew is thinking?"
Uncle Zhu Shouren shook his head in disbelief.
"Haha, of course I can." Hu Wei smiled slightly.
"Okay, my good brother Hu, stop keeping us in suspense and tell us quickly." Xia Qiang couldn't bear it any longer and urged impatiently.
"Yes, Brother Hu, since you have an idea, tell us quickly." Uncle Zhu Shouren also urged.
"Okay, okay, it's actually very simple. As the saying goes, a passing wild goose leaves traces, a passing wind leaves sounds. If you don't want people to know, then don't do it. The same goes for what Lord Zhu is thinking. It will definitely leave traces, and these traces are the key for us to understand what Lord Zhu is thinking." Hu Wei smiled slightly and said slowly.
"How can one leave traces of one's thoughts and ideas?"
Uncle Zhu Shouren and Xia Qiang were all puzzled.
Seeing their expressions, Hu Wei enjoyed it even more. That’s why he is willing to make friends with you.
"When you encounter a difficult problem, how to get the answer is nothing more than asking the experienced for advice, seeking knowledge from the classics, and summarizing and thinking on your own. Lord Zhu must be the same. In the camp, there are no experienced generals to ask for advice, so there are only books. Lord Zhu must have read the books to try to find the answer, and perhaps when he is thinking, he will write down his experience..."
Hu Wei looked at his uncle Zhu Shouren and Xia Qiang with a proud look on his face, and slowly revealed the answer to the mystery.
"I understand now. As long as we find the books that our nephew/Lord Zhu has read and the insights he has left behind, we will be able to figure out what Lord Zhu is thinking..." Uncle Zhu Shouren and Xia Qiang seemed to have suddenly realized something.
"Shh, keep your voice down." Hu Wei reminded.
"Yes, yes, keep your voice down, don't let the guards hear us." Uncle Zhu Shouren and Xia Qiang nodded vigorously, with excitement on their faces.