Stories That Continue in Jingzhou
The Jingzhou campaign was over.
Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and the others could not leave the capital vacant for long, so they resolved to return to Chengdu once they had finished only the most essential business.
And among those essential matters was the disposition of a traitor.
Mi Fang.
Thanks to Xu Shu, Ma Su, and the others having detected and blocked his betrayal in advance, Shi Ren had not been left marked as a traitor. On the contrary, his merit and effort in fighting the enemy to the end were recognized, and he was granted the post of Grand Administrator of Gong'an. Pan Jun, too, received promotion and rewards for his service overseeing Jingzhou's supply lines and the like.
Mi Fang was the problem. Save for those who had been with Liu Bei from the very beginning—Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and their like—he was among the most senior figures in Liu Bei's army. Consequently, few in our forces held the authority to punish him.
Thus the matter of his punishment fell to Liu Bei himself.
"Strip Mi Fang of every office and convey him under guard to Chengdu."
Mi Fang would have to return to Chengdu with Liu Bei—no longer as a Grand Administrator, but as a criminal.
Word circulated that Mi Fang would be executed, but I suspected he would likely escape that fate.
Because of none other than his elder brother, Mi Zhu.
Unable to bear the guilt of his younger brother's betrayal, Mi Zhu bound himself and prostrated before Liu Bei, begging for punishment.
"This humble servant's younger brother sought to inflict great harm upon the realm. I beg Your Majesty to take my head for the crime!"
Having once been a wealthy man of Xuzhou who had given his entire fortune to Liu Bei out of loyalty, he was all the more pitiable. Liu Bei comforted him warmly.
"Mi Fang's crime is Mi Fang's alone, not yours. Rise."
"But—"
"Gan Yong. Take Mi Zhu and comfort him well."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Come now, my friend. Up you get."
In the original history, Mi Zhu wasted away after Mi Fang's betrayal and died of illness.
Now that the situation itself had been resolved well, I could only hope Gan Yong would comfort him properly.
Before departing for Chengdu, Liu Bei made time to meet with me.
"General Who Pacifies the North." That was my new rank. "I mean to leave affairs here in your hands and return to Chengdu. That will be all right, won't it?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. It was Your Majesty's personal presence that allowed everything to be resolved so well."
"It was all the generals' and advisors' doing. What did I accomplish, ha ha?"
"That is not so. It was possible only because of Your Majesty's grace and virtue."
"Ha ha ha! Your silver tongue grows sharper by the day."
It was no empty flattery. The influence of Liu Bei's name alone was enough to raise our army's morale—and our victory in the great battle against Lu Xun owed something to it as well.
"In any case, I must return, so Shan'er..."
My eyes lit up. Liu Shan? Was he taking him?
"I mean to leave Shan'er here, so I entrust my son to you, just as I have until now."
"...!"
Ah... And here I'd thought he was taking him this time...!
"Y-Your Majesty. Would it not be better for His Highness the Crown Prince to remain in the capital with Your Majesty? I am unequal to bearing such a weighty charge for so long..."
I tried a timid bit of resistance. Being tasked with educating the future emperor was far too much pressure.
But Liu Bei was immovable.
"At first I meant to take Shan'er back with me. But coming here, I see he has grown more than before. Honestly, he was a child who showed little spark of wit, yet seeing even a little growth fills this father's heart with pride. It is all thanks to you."
"...It is thanks to the virtue His Highness the Crown Prince already possesses. I have done nothing, and my learning is insufficient. Would it not be better for someone of abundant scholarship to attend His Highness?"
Someone like Ma Su, that walking encyclopedia of classical anecdotes, for instance.
"You—are you speaking of Ma Su, by any chance? I have seen Ma Su with Shan'er several times myself. His knowledge is so rich he answers Shan'er's questions without a moment's hesitation."
Yes! Exactly!
"But Ma Su's speech tends toward exaggeration, and he shows some deficiency in putting theory into practice. I judge it still too early to employ him in great affairs."
"..."
I was hearing with my own ears a character assessment of Liu Bei's that would live on in the historical records—yet I could not rejoice.
I had built some rapport and goodwill with Liu Shan, but looking after a king's son was still an intensely burdensome duty. In company terms, it was like having to manage the boss's son.
"Even so, my learning is insufficient to bear such a great responsibility..."
"No need for such humility. I heard it all from Shan'er. He said he has learned a great deal from you. And as for learning—knowledge is important, of course. But there is a reason more important than knowledge for why I wish to entrust Shan'er to you."
"A more important reason?"
"Yes. Virtue. I hope Shan'er will learn virtue by following your example."
Virtue...
"If it is virtue, does Your Majesty not possess it? In matters of virtue, surely Your Majesty..."
"No. I am a man without virtue, so there is nothing of virtue to learn from me. That is why I hope our Shan'er will come to possess a virtue of his own. But it will be hard for him alone, so I am asking you."
Liu Shan had said something similar in Xiangyong, I thought. Liu Bei's historical final testament carried much the same substance.
"Your Majesty without virtue? No one would think such a thing."
"I think so of myself, and so it is. I am a man who has committed many sins."
"But I am a military officer who travels from battlefield to battlefield. How could I dare..."
"A military officer has a military officer's virtue of their own, does she not? In all my life I have never seen a virtuous general to match you. And circumstances have arisen that prevent me from taking Shan'er back to Chengdu just now. Do not feel too burdened. I only ask that you occasionally make time to read with him and advise him toward the right path. Before I depart, I shall bestow upon you fine Shu brocade and gold and silver in recompense. I trust you will put them to good use."
Against my true feelings, my mouth spoke different words.
"...Yes, Your Majesty. I shall serve him with all my heart."
And so the great figures—Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, and the rest—returned to Chengdu, while those who were to remain stayed in Jingzhou. For the record, Zhang Fei, Pang Tong, and others were still here as well.
After the Jingzhou campaign ended, we spent peaceful, leisurely days... or so I would have liked to say, but that was not the case.
Postwar affairs and other business remained in no small measure, so we had to spend busier days than expected.
Repairing the shattered walls, finishing the burial mounds, consoling the fallen and compensating the survivors, and so on...
That said, I did not particularly mind remaining in Jingzhou. The mere fact that we had overturned a history that should have ended in defeat filled me with no small pride.
Having finished a fair portion of my work, I stepped out of the official residence and took a short walk with Gan Yong, chatting of this and that.
"Lord Gan Yong. How is Lord Mi Zhu faring?"
"He is still bedridden, but showing improvement. The physician says it is nothing to worry overmuch about."
"Ah, that is a relief, at least."
Mi Zhu had taken to his bed from the severity of his mental anguish, and Gan Yong had remained here to nurse him.
In truth, Mi Fang's betrayal was something we had more or less made use of, so I did feel a measure of guilt. I ought to visit later and at least ask after him.
"Still, I thought things would be leisurely once the war ended, but that is not the case either."
"Is that not the way of state affairs?"
"Yes. And His Highness the Crown Prince will be coming here shortly."
"His Highness the Crown Prince? Ah, I had heard you were attending him... But he is coming here in person?"
"Yes. I ought to go to him, but he insists on coming himself. I believe he is being considerate, knowing how much work I have."
Still, whatever else one might say of Liu Shan, it was fortunate that his disposition, at least, was kind.
"I see. His Highness coming in person—that must weigh heavily on you as well. And he is coming soon?"
"Yes. Around this time of day he comes here to read with me or talk. Honestly, it is rather burdensome."
"I seeee... Hmm..."
Gan Yong trailed off in a manner unlike him. Now that I looked, he seemed to be avoiding my gaze as well.
Ah, wait. Looking at Gan Yong, something came to mind.
"Master Gan. Come to think of it—did you know? That His Majesty the King of Hanzhong meant to entrust the Crown Prince to me."
"Hmm? Eh-hmm? How would I know a thing like that? It was all done of His Majesty's deep purpose. Ahem!"
"No. You said as much last time, clearly. When you were with my father. Something about me playing the nanny, or whatever it was. Do you not remember teasing me like that?"
"Hmm. Weeell. Did I say that? I do not recall."
Gan Yong mumbled, looking elsewhere.
"I spat tea all over your face that day, did I not? Do you not remember? Even if you did not know precisely, you had some inkling, did you not?"
"Ah, I tell you I have no such memory. Do not go pinning things on an innocent man...!"
No. He definitely knew something. Gan Yong was Liu Bei's hometown friend. It would not be strange for him to see right through the man.
"Oh! Look, His Highness the Crown Prince is coming!"
Looking where Gan Yong pointed, I could indeed see Liu Shan coming this way, along with his guard captain Guo Yi, the escort soldiers, eunuchs, and attendants. Speak of the tiger and he appears, as they say.
"Perfect timing. Then, Master Gan, if you would help me a little..."
But what met my eyes was Gan Yong already making a break for it in the other direction.
"Ah—where are you going!"
"I—I must go tend to Mi Zhu now! The fellow will not eat properly if I am not there...!"
"What! Lord Mi Zhu is not a child—how can he not eat by himself! Honestly!"
Even as I shouted after him, Gan Yong kept running and vanished off that way in no time. Good grief...
Ma Su. Where was Ma Su? If only Ma Su were here... I was beginning to understand why Zhuge Liang had favored him so.
But Ma Su was nowhere to be seen, and in the meantime Liu Shan had come right up before me.
"General! General! I came again today!"
"Yes... Your Highness has arrived..."
He beamed at me, smiling brightly.
I forced a smile in return.
But at that moment, I did not yet know. The one I would have to face was not Liu Shan alone.