Chapter 18: Tactics from Books
Raj was first to react, excitedly grabbing David's arm. "Yes! Absolutely! David, do you have a plan? Tell us!"
Sheldon immediately cast a suspicious glance, saying in a critical tone, "David, if you're just planning to rigidly apply tactics from your computer games like 'StarCraft' or 'World of Warcraft' to a physical sport like paintball,
I advise you to abandon that notion now. While we may not match you in the virtual world, that certainly doesn't mean you automatically become our coach in real-life confrontations.
Applying RTS game micro-management and formation changes to a paintball battlefield will only result in us being humiliated by those kids again—and this time it might be even worse, because we'll appear more foolish and out of place."
David calmly shook his head. "No, Sheldon, you misunderstood. I'm not planning to use video game tactics. I'm talking about using wisdom from classic military strategy texts, combined with some targeted intensive training, and then challenging them again. I'm confident we can beat them."
"Military strategy texts?" Howard's eyes lit up. "Like in those action movies?"
"No, I'm talking about ancient tactical and strategic wisdom that's much older than movies—focusing more on outsmarting the enemy and strategic thinking," David explained.
"The purpose of classical military strategy, many times, was to achieve victory through surprise, to defeat the strong with the weak, and the many with the few. It doesn't solely emphasize individual prowess; it places more importance on timing, terrain, psychological factors, as well as tactical deception and resource allocation."
To help his friends understand, David gave a simple example. "For instance, there's a very basic tactic called 'Feinting to the East While Attacking the West.' It means pretending to attack one place to draw the enemy's attention and forces,
then suddenly concentrating power to attack another weakly defended position. It's like... well... like a magician using one hand to distract you while the other hand performs the real trick. Against a group of teenagers who are trained but perhaps inexperienced and impulsive, this tactic would be very effective."
He painted an enticing picture. "Imagine us using Eastern strategies, refined over thousands of years, against a bunch of kids who've just learned teamwork.
It's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. If we can master and skillfully apply one or two maneuvers with strict training, I'd say we can not only defeat Kyle and his crew, but we might even dominate the entire Caltech amateur paintball scene!"
David's words painted an alluring prospect, making Leonard, Howard, and Raj's eyes light up with excitement and anticipation.
The possibility of avenging their previous humiliation and even becoming "campus champions" greatly stimulated their competitive spirit.
However, Sheldon remained skeptically calm. He stared at David and posed a crucial question. "David, I admit your proposal is appealing. But I'm curious—how did you become familiar with these... ancient military texts? As far as I know, you grew up in America. Have you been studying military history in your spare time?"
David had already prepared his explanation. "Sheldon, I haven't thoroughly studied the texts. I'm just convinced that within the treasure trove of ancient military wisdom,
there must be tactics that are suitable for our current situation—simple, practical, and highly effective. What exactly they are, we need to find together in the library. I just know the direction and believe we can find the answer."
This explanation was reasonable and modest, addressing Sheldon's concerns. Howard was already impatient—he jumped up and shouted, "What are we waiting for? Brothers! Our destination—the university library! Let's go unearth these tactical secrets!"
And so, a striking scene appeared at Caltech: four young scholars with dried paintball stains on their clothes, each wearing different expressions, plus David, neatly dressed having just returned from an academic event. The group of five marched purposefully toward the university's main library.
In the library, it didn't take them long to find English translations of classic military strategy texts. They found "The Thirty-Six Stratagems"—a thin volume full of proverbial wisdom.
"Wow, this looks straightforward!" Howard flipped through it. "'Crossing the Sea Under Camouflage,' 'Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao'... sounds awesome!"
Raj also leaned over to look. "'Borrowing a Corpse to Resurrect the Soul'? That sounds kind of creepy..."
Leonard, however, was more concerned with practicality. "We need to find specific tactics that are suitable for the five of us and can be applied on a paintball field."
David walked toward the deeper shelves, finding various military history and strategy texts including an annotated version of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War."
As David browsed through "The Art of War," Leonard curiously leaned over and whispered, "You know, I'm impressed you're so into military strategy, David. Where'd you pick all this up?"
Before David could answer, Sheldon interjected with a hint of pride in his tone, "What's impressive about that, Leonard? Strategic thinking is universal. Even I've studied game theory and strategic decision-making extensively. In fact,
I could probably teach a seminar on optimal resource allocation in competitive scenarios." He reached for one of the books David was examining, confidently flipping through it.
After reading a few passages, Sheldon's brow furrowed tighter and tighter, his expression growing confused.
He pointed at a particularly dense passage, looked up, and asked David, "David, what... what is this author trying to convey? The syntax seems deliberately obtuse. The information density is extremely high, but it lacks clear logical connectives and proper analytical framework. Is this really considered effective military doctrine?"
David looked at Sheldon's earnest yet confused expression and couldn't help but smile. "Wow, Sheldon, it's rare to find something that stumps you.
This is classical military philosophy—it's intentionally concise and uses metaphorical language. Ancient strategists wrote in aphorisms and allegories rather than explicit instructions. No wonder it's confusing."
After David briefly explained the style of ancient military texts, Sheldon somewhat awkwardly set down the challenging volume and muttered, "An inefficient and ambiguous encoding system... modern tactical manuals with clear procedural frameworks are obviously superior."
After this brief interlude, everyone began seriously searching for applicable tactics.
They flipped through "The Thirty-Six Stratagems," and various clever schemes fascinated them, though many seemed unsuitable for small-scale, short-duration engagements like paintball.
"We need simple, effective tactics that can fully leverage our... um... 'intellectual advantage,'" Leonard summarized.
Suddenly, David's gaze stopped on a passage in "The Art of War," from the chapter on military maneuvers: "Thus, to take a circuitous route and lure them with advantage, to start after but arrive before—this is knowledge of the direct and indirect approach."
At the same time, he recalled concepts like "Waiting at Leisure for an Exhausted Enemy" and "Feinting to the East While Attacking the West" from "The Thirty-Six Stratagems." A nascent tactical plan combining enemy baiting, ambush positioning, and opportunistic strikes gradually formed in his mind.
"Guys, I've got an idea." David called everyone to gather around. "We don't necessarily need complex movements and coordination. We can exploit their eagerness to win and their underestimation of us..."
[Power Stone Goal: 500 = +1 Chapter]
[Review Goal: 10 = +1 Chapter]
If you liked it, feel free to leave a review.
20+ chapters ahead on P2treon DarkFoxx