Encounter with the Sworn Brothers
I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but nothing had changed. In the center stood a man with prominent earlobes, to his left a figure with a long, flowing black beard, and to his right someone with a fierce, rugged face. My knowledge told me they served under Gongsun Zan, but right now, that knowledge was being proven wrong. Even in my dreamlike state, the unexpected situation drew the name from my lips unbidden.
“Liu Bei?”
Jojo must have heard my mutter, because he asked, “Did you say something just now?”
“Ah, seeing the preparations Lord Jojo has made, I murmured that he's as capable as Liu Bei,” I quickly covered, scrambling to retrieve my slip. I'd already been under some suspicion moments ago; any stray remark here would only deepen the misunderstanding.
Fortunately, Jojo hadn't caught my words clearly and let it slide. The three men on the platform approached us, meeting in the center of the training grounds.
“These are Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, whom I met in the capital. They've sworn brotherhood with one another.”
It was still hard to believe that the legendary trio of Liu, Guan, and Zhang stood before me.
“I am Liu Bei...”
“I am Guan Yu...”
“I'm Zhang Fei...”
Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei introduced themselves in turn, but their words barely registered. Any reader of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms would be starstruck by this unprepared encounter with the moment we'd all anticipated.
Only after they'd finished did I pull myself together and continue. “I am Jang Myeong, using 'Ja' as my style name. I first met Lord Jojo while suppressing the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan, and next year, I'll come of age.”
“Impressive for one so young to prepare for great endeavors,” Jojo added as I introduced myself to the three brothers.
Jojo's praise in front of Liu Bei left me endlessly embarrassed.
“To see a kirin child like this emerge, it seems the Han dynasty won't fall just yet.”
The term “kirin child” suddenly brought Jiang Wei to mind. Did Liu Bei realize he'd just invoked the nickname of Shu Han's final grand commander?
With all introductions complete, Jojo outlined the matters they'd discussed in the empty hall. There weren't many changes to the practical arrangements, and with the sworn brothers' agreement, the talk wrapped up quickly.
“How about we share a drink? Once we disperse to gather men, it may be a while before we sit at the same table again.”
Zhang Fei, ever the lover of liquor, was the first to suggest it—proving the rumors true. I wasn't fond of drinking myself, but this was no gathering of heroes I could skip. As others chimed in one by one, Jojo proposed a evening feast together.
“We should call Zixiao and Zilian too.”
Jojo sent a servant as he spoke. A drinking party I dreaded was about to turn unexpectedly enjoyable.
After Jojo suggested reconvening that evening, I was immediately cornered by the Xiahou brothers. Xiahou Yuan, curious about the skills Jojo had praised, challenged me to an archery contest.
I couldn't think of an excuse to slip away and was dragged off.
“Shall we compete by hitting the target?”
“That's the plan. Unless you'd prefer another method?”
I shook my head and agreed to it as is. Truth be told, I didn't want to waste time devising and preparing some other approach.
Twang—twang—
We competed at a hundred paces, and I edged out Xiahou Yuan by a single arrow. He confirmed the target had one arrow fewer than needed and remarked, “A razor-thin margin indeed. Brother Mengde wasn't exaggerating.”
As he pulled the arrows, Xiahou Yuan clapped my shoulder in admiration. I'd held back my strength, but his palm still stung fiercely.
“Come to think of it, you're not using those small arrows? I heard from Mengde that you felled Peng Qiao with one.”
Hahou Don's question sent a chill through me. I could already see my hopes of returning early to rest crumbling.
“Then let's go one more round with the small arrows.”
I'd barely opened my mouth when Xiahou Yuan beat me to it. I'd come to make a good impression, so backing out now wasn't an option.
“Very well. I'll fetch the repeating crossbow that uses the short arrows.”
With no choice, I retrieved the pyeonjeon from my horse. As expected, I lost the second round by three points.
“I win the bet, but you'd have me on the battlefield,” Xiahou Yuan marveled, eyeing the aegi sal embedded in the straw target. A standard arrow penetrated about an inch, but the short arrow sank in two.
“It's tricky to handle, but worth carrying separately.”
It wasn't flawless, but the repeating crossbow had plenty of value for dedicated use.
“Quite the ingenious design. Mind showing us how it's fired?”
“Of course. But the arrows might ricochet, so please step back a bit.”
I demonstrated the pyeonjeon slowly before the two. It wasn't complex, so they grasped the principle easily.
“The smaller arrows fly faster, I suppose.”
“Can't notch them on the bowstring, so you use a tong-a tube.”
Xiahou Yuan murmured as he examined my repeating crossbow closely.
“It'd be great if soldiers could wield this.”
“I doubt it. Training ordinary archers takes ages already; adding the pyeonjeon would double the time.”
“Better to practice with regular arrows in that case,” Hahou Don added, agreeing with my assessment.
Beyond the difficulty and slow reloading, the safety risks dwarfed those of normal arrows. Even I, with nearly seven years of practice, tensed up handling it. A misaim could strike the shooter or nearby allies. What more for militia unused to bows?
Xiahou Yuan nodded, admitting it was just idle talk.
“By the way, Lord Jojo mentioned inviting others. Might I ask who?”
I knew Jao In and Jo Hong from my knowledge but asked to avoid awkward silence.
Xiahou Yuan explained first. “Ah, Zixiao and Zilian. Both are close kin to Brother Mengde—within eight degrees.”
Zixiao was Jao In, Zilian Jo Hong, as I recalled. Hahou Don nodded and elaborated, “Zixiao looks stern but has depth and excels in martial arts. Zilian can be reckless at times, but his courage is the real deal.”
“Will both join us this evening? If they're far, it might be tough.”
“They'll make it before nightfall. Zixiao's recruiting nearby, and Zilian's probably idling about.”
We exchanged greetings with Jao In and Jo Hong before raising our cups, and Hahou Don's words rang true. Jo Hong especially stunned me, clad in silk embroidered with gold thread—worth as much as a fine house. No wonder he ranked among the Three Kingdoms' wealthiest with Lu Boshe and Mi Zhu.
“A toast! To a peaceful realm under Taiping.”
The feast kicked off amid the toast's clamor. No dancers, musicians, or performers, yet the lively chatter was mesmerizing. I disliked liquor and avoided it as much as possible, but the atmosphere drew a cup or two to my lips. As my glass emptied and tipsiness crept in, I fought to guard my tongue. Spilling foreknowledge in my cups could spell disaster.
“Another jar here!”
Scanning the table, Zhang Fei was by far the merriest, having drained five jars while others managed two or three at most.
“Hey, young Jang! Down this in one go!”
Zhang Fei went around offering cups, reaching mine last. Lacking the guts to refuse a warlord's pour, I drained it.
As the mood warmed, Liu Bei turned to me. “By the way, young Jang, what drew you to this cause?”
“When the realm sickens, those around me suffer first. Better to treat it before the illness deepens.”
I avoided grand rhetoric to dodge overpraise.
“And how do you propose to heal the realm?”
Liu Bei probed further, intrigued. The wine dulled my wits, slowing my reply.
“Hmm, the method...”
I hemmed, carefully selecting words to avoid mistakes.
“Law and order, surely?”
Law clashed with benevolence in my mind, but I chose law. In this chaotic era, humaneness was a distant cloud; law could keep even the ignorant in line.
“Jang Ja reads my mind,” Jojo said approvingly.
He'd governed by law in history too, so no wonder he liked it. The tale of him enforcing military discipline by threatening his own head still burned fresh.
“As I said before, I read not minds, but the stars.”
“Just jesting—you always say what I like to hear, so no need to overthink.”
Thinking how many days I'd live to hear Jojo's jokes, I deemed today precious indeed.
As Jojo rose to pour me a cup, another voice cut in. “Young Jang, what of benevolence?”
“Liu Xuande, benevolence? The people turned bandits because law collapsed. Benevolence did nothing as it crumbled—how can it right the realm?”
“Discipline erodes when superiors forsake benevolence and neglect the people. Striking branches without healing the root only invites relapse.”
“With sound law, the realm heals regardless of benevolence.”
I pondered Jojo's sharp retort. Reviewing my sluggish thoughts, I concluded law wasn't omnipotent. Benevolence had, after all, birthed the hero Liu Bei to trip Jojo up. Ignoring it was folly.
“Lord Jojo, I did say law first, but benevolence can't be dismissed.”
“Hmm, Jang Ja. You just claimed law supreme—why benevolence now?”
Jojo approached with the jar, eyes chilling through the alcoholic haze as they fixed on me.
A wrong answer here would turn solid logic to sophistry in an instant. I swallowed dryly, retracing the proper path.
“Lord Jojo, ruling the realm is like building a house. Law forms the foundation and pillars. Without a firm base and straight supports, it collapses in the slightest storm.”
“Go on.”
Interest laced Jojo's voice. The jar tilted, filling my cup bit by bit. Whether it held poison or fine wine hinged on my tongue.
“But bare pillars and foundation won't shelter life. Walls against cold and roof against rain make it livable—and those are benevolence.”
The cup brimmed; Jojo righted the jar. Balanced on a knife's edge, my voice held steady.
“Pillars and foundation enable walls and roof, so law comes first in sequence. But atop firm law, benevolence draws the people willingly. Law alone oppresses; benevolence alone breeds chaos.”
I finished and bowed my head. An eternity passed in a heartbeat, then a hand rested on my shoulder. Looking up, Jojo smiled, patting me warmly.
“Sound doctrine. If other silver-tongued scholars were as clear-headed, all would be well.”
Jojo handed me the cup. The liquor he'd poured was clear and pure.