Chapter 57: A New Journey Amidst Winds and Clouds

While Li Fengyu, Gu Yumin, Lin Chu, Li Sen, and Liu Xinyang were forging ahead and making a name for themselves in the capital markets of Huaxia, another group of people had already stepped onto the historical stage. In the Northern and Western Hemispheres, the titans of the City of London and Wall Street were making history on a much grander stage. As Li Fengyu and his companions sought to expand and strengthen their influence, an eventual clash with these giants was inevitable, and a new storm was brewing. For now, however, although Li Fengyu had carved out a reputation in the financial markets, he was still not yet in the same league as them.

At this moment, having just narrowly snatched victory from the jaws of death to preserve the Li Group, Li Fengyu was preparing to officially launch his challenge against Lin Dongjiang—a requisite step on his path to growth and dominance.

Right then, Li Fengyu was playing a game of Go with Liu Xinyang. Go is a strategic board game for two players, historically known as "Yi" in ancient China and called "Go" in the West. Popular across East Asian countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea, it is traditionally regarded as one of the four scholarly arts, alongside the guqin, calligraphy, and painting.

Originating in China, Go is legendarily attributed to Emperor Yao, with historical records of the game dating back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, it spread to Japan via the Korean Peninsula, and eventually found its way to Europe and the Americas.

Go embodies the rich connotations of Chinese culture and serves as a profound manifestation of Chinese civilization and heritage. Played with a grid board and circular black and white stones, a standard board features 19 vertical and 19 horizontal lines, creating 361 intersection points. Stones must be placed directly on the vacant intersections, avoiding prohibited points. The two players alternate turns, and once placed, stones cannot be moved or retracted. The player who controls the most territory at the end wins.

Because the black pieces enjoy the advantage of the first move, it is conventionally required for Black to compensate White with points—known as komi—at the end of the game. The specific competition rules vary slightly among China, Japan, South Korea, and other countries.

Holding a black stone in his hand, Li Fengyu slowly said, "Although Go superficially appears to be a game where whoever claims the most territory wins, it is actually deeply subtle. It demands an exceptionally high capacity for a player to command the overall situation, and one must never be blinded by immediate, short-term gains." As his voice trailed off, Li Fengyu placed the black stone onto the board, smiled faintly, and pointed out, "Look, even though you managed to capture this entire group of my stones, from the perspective of the grand strategy, you have lost the entire game."

Liu Xinyang put down his piece, stretched lazily, and said, "I yield. You win, Teacher."

Chapter 57 of "Turbulent Times and Stirring Winds: A New Journey" is currently being manually transcribed. Please wait a moment. Once the content is updated, please refresh the page to retrieve the latest update!