Chapter 198: The Mathematics Battle
Bai Yuan exclaimed, "Oh? I never expected the County Magistrate to be such a master of arithmetic!"
Liang Shixian smiled. "My studies are broad and varied, and I've focused entirely on the art of governance and statecraft, not on those who merely compose poems and sigh without reason."
It would have been fine if he hadn't boasted, but his arrogance certainly provoked Bai Yuan.
Bai Yuan squeezed the math textbook in his hand, an invisible aura of challenge rising around him. *Hmph*, he thought. *He dares to call his learning extensive? How extensive can it be? How many of a gentleman's six arts does he truly master?*
If it came to the Four Books and Five Classics, or the subjects for the imperial examinations, Bai Yuan knew he certainly couldn't compare to an official who had earned his position through proper scholarship. But to boast about arithmetic in front of him? That was asking for trouble. *Hmph hmph hmph*, he thought. *I'll deal with this fellow and my rebellious son at the same time.*
"Very well, very well, Magistrate Liang," he said aloud. "Since you are also a master in this field, how about we have a little competition later?"
"Why not?" Liang Shixian's spirits rose. In this remote, desolate county in the northwest, the academic atmosphere was far inferior to that of Jiangnan. Liang Shixian rarely found anyone knowledgeable enough to converse with. Now that Bai Yuan had arrived, seemingly quite formidable, how could he refuse the challenge?
Fang Wushang fumed, "Weren't we here to discuss strategy? Why are you suddenly squabbling about arithmetic?"
San Shier quickly stepped over, pulling Fang Wushang aside. "General Fang, please don't be angry," he soothed. "Leave the bandit situation to me. I'll arrange for the militia to head to Bai Family Fortress immediately. General Fang, you just proceed to your assigned post."
Meanwhile, Bai Yuan and Liang Shixian walked together into Gao Family Village.
Since they were to engage in a friendly scholarly contest, the School Well was naturally the place to go.
Sitting in the School Well classroom, Liang Shixian looked around at the calligraphy, paintings, desks, and writing implements.
Liang Shixian was in excellent spirits. As a scholar, he truly appreciated the environment of the School Well. He couldn't help but exclaim, feeling a sense of satisfaction, "This private school is quite impressively managed!"
Bai Yuan chuckled, "This isn't just a private school. It's a 'public academy' open freely to all the children of this village's common folk. Anyone willing to learn to read and write can come here for free."
Liang Shixian was stunned, then deeply moved. "A noble deed, truly a noble deed!" he exclaimed. "I knew this Li family was kind-hearted, but I never imagined they were so benevolent."
As they talked, Young Master Bai and Madam Bai arrived.
After a round of greetings, which needn't be detailed.
Young Master Bai's spirits lifted when he heard his father was challenging him to another math contest. "Father," he declared, "ever since I became the Math Class Representative, I've diligently studied mathematics every day, and my skills have advanced by leaps and bounds. Although I respect you, Father, I don't intend to lose to you in the realm of numbers!"
Bai Yuan burst out laughing. "You can only be arrogant now! Soon enough, your father will show you the true meaning of 'My dad is still my dad'!"
Liang Shixian, standing nearby, scoffed. "Aren't you two forgetting about *me*?"
"With me here," he added, "both of you are bound to lose."
The three of them were surprisingly competitive, none backing down.
Li Daoxuan chuckled, pouring himself a cup of pre-Qingming Longjing tea, ready to enjoy the show.
Bai Yuan, with a grand gesture, said, "Please, Master Liang, you set the first problem."
Liang Shixian nodded. "Very well, I shall go first. If a field is twelve paces wide and fourteen paces long... what is its area?"
He had barely finished stating the problem, his words still hanging in the air.
Bai Yuan and his son practically spoke in unison: "One hundred sixty-eight paces."
Liang Shixian's heart skipped a beat. "So fast?" he murmured.
Bai Yuan chuckled, "A simple two-digit multiplication. Magistrate Liang, you're going easy on us."
Young Master Bai also laughed. "Master Liang, your problem wouldn't even stump a second-grader!" Although Liang Shixian didn't know what "second-grader" meant, he correctly assumed it referred to a very low level of education. A hint of pique rose within him. "Oh? Then why don't you two propose a problem yourselves?"
Bai Yuan smiled. "Alright, my turn. We have twelve eighteenths. What is this simplified to?"
The moment this problem was posed, Liang Shixian beamed. *Fractions?*
*Ha!* To think he could stump me with fractions! He clearly underestimated me.
*Let me just take a moment to consider.*
The erudite Liang Shixian immediately activated his arithmetic mode. Ancient texts like the *Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art*, *Zhoubi Suanjing*, and *Wujing Suanshu* flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope. Suddenly, with a mental *ding*, his focus landed on the *Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art*.
The "Method of Extensive Fields" chapter in the *Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art* stated: "To simplify fractions, find a common divisor for the numerator and denominator, then divide both by it."
Liang Shixian let out a hearty laugh. "Two-thirds!"
Only after he spoke did he notice that Young Master Bai next to him had already written "2/3" on a piece of paper. And his calligraphy was quite good.
Liang Shixian was aghast. *This child calculated faster than me? How is that possible? My mental kaleidoscope wasn't spinning slowly! How could this child's mind work faster than mine?*
Young Master Bai grinned mischievously. "Both of you have given problems. Now it's my turn."
Young Master Bai deftly drew a circle on the paper. "Given a circular field with a diameter of ten *zhang*, what is the area of this field?"
Liang Shixian's heart seized. *This problem is incredibly difficult! This mere child, to propose such a complex question right away? This is a challenge to an elder! Absolutely a challenge! I'll give you a run for your money!*
The erudite Liang Shixian once again activated his calculation mode. All the mathematical knowledge he had ever acquired, every academic text, flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope. Then, with a sudden *ding*, his thoughts settled on the *Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art*.
The "Rectangular Fields" chapter in the *Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art* stated: "The area of a circle is the product of its circumference and diameter, divided by four."
This meant: multiply the circumference by the diameter, then divide by four to find the circle's area.
But when this child posed the problem, he only mentioned a diameter of ten *zhang*. He didn't state the circumference!
Liang Shixian spoke up, "Your problem isn't complete, is it? The circumference of a circular field..."
He hadn't even finished his sentence.
Bai Yuan, standing nearby, burst out laughing. "The area of that field is 78.5 square *zhang*!"
Liang Shixian: "!!!"
*How?*
*How did Bai Yuan calculate it? The problem wasn't even fully stated! How did he do it?*
At that moment, Bai Yuan, surprisingly, continued to pose another problem: "Given a cylindrical barrel with a base diameter of one *chi* and a height of two *chi*, what is the volume of this barrel?"
With a *thud*, Liang Shixian collapsed onto the table. "I... I've lost!"
Young Master Bai's face also changed dramatically. "The volume of a cylinder? Oh no! I... I haven't learned that yet."
Bai Yuan roared with laughter. "I won! I knew I could win! With the twelve volumes of the Heavenly Book in hand, who can rival me in the 'Mathematics' of a gentleman's six arts? Hahahahaha!"
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