Zhao Gongming was a Chinese citizen from Qin Province who obtained enlightenment in the final mountain, subsequently becoming the Chief Military Officer of Taoist Protectors and became a prominent figure in the Taoist community. He had a keen interest in military affairs.
Rel Guanyu originally served as the most competent general under Liu Bei's camp during the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He once defended Jingzhou alone, flooded seven armies, and intimidated the Chinese regions with his military prowess. As a result, he naturally possessed profound knowledge in military strategies.
Since their self-proclaimed divine puppets first recognized each other, they became fast friends at first sight and were close companions. They often gathered to play chess and chat when they had nothing else to do.
It is precisely because Xiangxi is related to military affairs that both of them greatly enjoyed it.
The reason for choosing Xiangxi over Weiqi is mainly because Weiqi is more like a game between two countries. Its strategic goal is to "defeat" the opponent in multiple dimensions, including military, politics, and economy, or to establish a country that is "stronger" than the opponent on the "19x19" board.
Xiangxi, on the other hand, simulates a military confrontation, with the aim of capturing the enemy's senior general and achieving victory in the battle.
Zhao Gongming and Guan Yu both lack the intention to rule a country, but possess the demeanor of a great general. As a result, they are more fond of Xiangxi.
Now that the two of them have heard that there is a game in the world that can better reflect military ability than Xiangxi, naturally, their eyes lit up, and they wanted to see what kind of game was more excellent than Xiangxi.
As their thoughts were rapidly shifting, Chen Yun crouched on the ground and began to draw a chessboard slowly with a branch.
He first drew a square grid and then added a horizontal space in the middle, labeling it "Chu River" and "Han Boundary".
Zhao Gongming was startled and said, "Little one, what is this?"
Guan Yu looked equally curious, puzzled, and glanced towards Chen Yun.
Without lifting his head, Chen Yun casually explained: "Oh, this is the Chu River and Han Boundary. My game takes the opposing forces of Chu King Xiang Yu and Emperor Gaozu of Han as its blueprint, so it is divided into Chu River and Han Boundary, and this place is also called river boundary."
"Taking the forces of Chu and Han as prototypes, with a dividing river?" Guan Yu exclaimed in amazement, saying, "It seems to have some interest."
Zhao Gongming nodded slightly, "Before the two armies engage in battle, indeed, it is clear and distinct. The Xiangxi we play does not have a boundary, which is a flaw."
Although they could only see the Chu River and Han Boundary, how could Guan Yu and Zhao Gongming have such military talents that they immediately understood the function of "Chu River and Han Boundary"?
It was precisely because they understood the significant role that "Chu River and Han Boundary" could play in simulating war that Guan Yu and Zhao Gongming watched Chen Yun drawing the chessboard more seriously. They were eager to see how much surprise this young man could bring.
The chessboard is relatively simple, and Chen Yun drew it in no time.
Lines and boxes appeared before their eyes, which differed slightly from Xiangxi but were quite similar.
Zhao Gongming and Guan Yu could roughly understand that Chen Yun had drawn a chessboard that should be some form of an Xiangxi board.
However, there were some places they did not understand.
Guan Yu, who was not understanding some parts, asked Chen Yun, "Young man, what is the purpose of the intersecting chess grid at the bottom of these two chessboards?"
Chen Yun explained, "This is the nine palaces, the central command tent of the general and the commander, where the general, commander, and strategists make their plans."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Gongming laughed and said, "Just like setting up camps in military campaigns, having a central command tent is indeed a clever move."
Guan Yu nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, young man, with your thoughts, I am even more interested in your game. What comes next?"
"General Guan, Marshal Zhao, could you please make thirty-two unpainted chess pieces for me using your great skills?" Chen Yun spoke calmly, "It would be best if they have some distinction, with sixteen pieces each."
"Such is simple."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Gongming waved his hand.
Not far away, a random stone block rose into the air as if by magic, then it shattered instantly, leaving behind only a square chessboard and sixteen round stones that looked like chess pieces.
He pointed to the chessboard and chess pieces, and they appeared at their location.
Following that, Zhao Gongming pointed to the dry tree trunk and automatically "drilled" out sixteen wooden chess pieces without any characters from within the trunk.
He did the same thing again, causing the wooden chess pieces to fall into the scattered chessboard.
It only took a breath of time for the chessboard and chess pieces to be complete.
Zhao Gongming looked at Chen Yun, "Little one, is this acceptable?"
"I still need Marshal Zhao's help." Chen Yun took out five stone chess pieces and five wooden chess pieces, "Could you please engrave 'Pao' (infantry) on these five stone pieces and 'Zhu' (soldier) on these wooden pieces?"
Zhao Gongming replied, "Very well."
In the next moment, the characters "Pao" (infantry) and "Zhu" (soldier) automatically appeared on the stone and wooden pieces respectively.
Chen Yun then took out two stone chess pieces and two wooden chess pieces, "I would trouble Marshal Zhao to engrave the character 'Pao' (cannon) on these four pieces."
Zhao Gongming followed suit.
In a short while, all the pieces of chariots, horses, elephants, and generals (commanders) had been engraved.
Chen Yun checked the pieces under the starlight, looking for any omissions.
Guan Yu had been silent and had only been looking with interest.
Zhao Gongming, who had been busy arranging things for half a day, could no longer hold back his impatience.
Taking the initiative, Zhao Gongming said, "I've noticed that these chess pieces are somewhat similar to those in Xiangxi, but they also have some differences and are in greater numbers. Especially the 'Pao' piece; Xiangxi has never had one. What is the purpose of this chess piece?"
"Don't rush, let me arrange the chess pieces first and explain it to you slowly."
Chen Yun arranged the chess pieces one by one.
Soon, the chess pieces were arranged.
Guan Yu and Zhao Gongming had already been eager with curiosity.
Especially Zhao Gongming, after seeing Chen Yun arrange the chess pieces, he urged, "Little one, tell me in detail."
Chen Yun looked up and said, "Alright, then let me explain."
As he was about to explain, Zhao Gongming and Guan Yu closed their mouths, listened attentively, and looked very serious.
Chen Yun pointed to the "Zhu" (soldier) and "Pao" (infantry) pieces and explained, "These are the foot soldiers used in military campaigns. They are arranged at the front of the army and used for charging and breaking through enemy lines."
These are not too different from those in Xiangxi, and neither of them commented.
Chen Yun pointed to the "Pao" (cannon) piece and said, "This piece is called a 'Pao' (cannon). In reality, it is a throwing vehicle that can harm enemies from a distance, but it must have an 'Xiangxi' (rook) piece in front of it to knock out the opponent's piece."
The throwing vehicle was invented in the Spring and Autumn Period.
The Guandu Battle even used an upgraded version, known as the "Lingbi carriage."
Zhao Gongming and Guan Yu were both experts in military affairs, so they were not unfamiliar with the throwing vehicle.
However, they still had some doubts.
Guan Yu asked the question that was on their minds, "Why does the 'Pao' (cannon) have to attack the piece by passing through another one?"
Chen Yun explained in a serious manner, "When the throwing vehicle is attacking a city, does it not need someone to aim accurately? Who would calibrate the throwing vehicle's direction if there is no one in front? Moreover, the 'Pao' (cannon) is actually a throwing vehicle, and attacking other chess pieces through them can demonstrate the powerful destructive force of the throwing vehicle in attacking cities. That's why it is different from other chess pieces."
Zhao Gongming nodded as if he had understood something.
Guan Yu also found the explanation to be reasonable, "That's an interesting point. What about the other chess pieces?"
Chen Yun explained every piece's function and how to move to the two of them one by one.
Xiangxi originated from Xiangxi, and Zhao Gongming and Guan Yu were avid fans of Xiangxi. Upon hearing this, both of them immediately understood everything.
Moreover, both of them had strong military abilities, and they quickly realized that chess was indeed more sophisticated than Xiangxi and better at reflecting military qualities in local battles.
Although they had not formally started playing chess, they had already roughly grasped its subtleties.
The characteristic of chess is the movement of pieces, emphasizing the concept of "momentum" or "trend."
The good or bad position of the chess pieces on the board to some extent affects the overall situation of the game.
Even with many pieces, if they are not in a good position, their effectiveness cannot be fully realized.
Having more pieces does not necessarily mean being on the offensive.
Having fewer pieces does not necessarily mean being on the defensive.
Through the manipulation of the chess pieces, the overall situation on the board can be completely changed.
Therefore, chess is more like conducting a battle, using the different troops to appear in different positions on the battlefield to change the direction of the battle.
Different opening arrays to some extent can reflect the battle objective chosen by the side.
Different arrays can also counter each other, fully explaining the saying "Military tactics are not always the same."
Exactly because they understood the subtleties of chess, Zhao Gongming and Guan Yu couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"Exquisite!" Zhao Gongming stroked his palms in praise, "This chess game that you, young friend, have created is indeed much more sophisticated than Xiangxi."
Up until now, he had been addressing Chen Yun as "little guy."
Now that he had seen the exquisite nature of the chess game, he changed to addressing Chen Yun as "young friend."
It can be imagined just how much Zhao Gongming identified with the chess game.
Guan Yu was also in a similar situation. He changed the way he addressed Chen Yun, "Little Chen, how did you come up with such an intelligent game of chess?"
Yes.
Yes.
So how did you come up with this game of chess that is so rich in playability?
Zhao Gongming and Guan Yu looked at Chen Yun's youthful face.
Although chess originated from Xiangxi, this world has never seen a chess game before, so it is not inappropriate to say that Chen Yun created it originally.
But Chen Yun how could he know how chess was created?
He simply told the truth, "The chess game was not created by me; it was created by a predecessor of great ability. I only remember the way to play it, and since I saw Marshal Zhao and General Guan playing so happily tonight, I brought this way of play out."
"Ha ha, it seems like you, this young friend, are modest."
Zhao Gongming still thought Chen Yun was being modest, so he burst into laughter.
Ancients valued modest and humble individuals and generally disliked braggarts.
Seeing Chen Yun's humility, he actually preferred it.
Guan Yu also laughed, "Guan has been playing Xiangxi for hundreds of years, and I have never seen anyone who has created the way to play chess. Don't be modest; I know you have great talent. You will surely become a dragon among men in the future."
They praised Chen Yun for a long time.
Chen Yun was a bit embarrassed by the constant praise.
In the end, Guan Yu said, "Alright, let's play a few games first to see if this chess game is as we have guessed."
Zhao Gongming nodded, "Without having played it, we can't verify our guesses. Young friend, you wait here for a moment. I'll play a few games with Guan brother to see if this chess game is as exquisite as we have guessed. If it turns out to be just as good as we thought, then after this, if Guan brother doesn't keep his promise to you, I Zhao Gongming will compensate you a bit..."
He didn't finish speaking, but Guan Yu immediately growled, "Guan has always been a man of his word. If this chess game is indeed as exquisite as we have guessed, I will definitely give you sufficient rewards. As for you Zhao Gongming, don't take advantage of the situation and act deceitfully. I promised Chen brother good things, and it's not up to you to give them to him!"
Zhao Gongming, whose face was somewhat embarrassed by the sarcasm, had to say, "If you're willing to give good things, can I fall behind you? Young friend, sit and wait for a moment. After I defeat these red guys completely without leaving any armor, I'll come up with some benefits for you."
Chen Yun hurriedly said, "I dare not expect any favors from the two senior gentlemen. Today, being able to see the true faces of Marshal Zhao and General Guan is enough for me."
"Well, General Guan always keeps his word."
"Yes, Zhao Gongming is also like this."
"Come, come, let's play chess."
Zhao Gongming and Guan Yu began to engage in a game of chess on the board.
Chen Yun, though not directly involved, felt a surge of excitement in his heart.
Zhao Gongming is one of the four great Taoist generals, and Guan Yu is a Buddhist guardian deity and a local king of ghosts. Both are truly sacred figures.
Chen Yun felt that if the two gave him benefits, they must be of very high quality.
