An Eye for Talent
Talent. Let me see talent.
It was the day after my return that I answered Liu Bei's summons and stood before him. There, he gave me an order I had not expected in the least.
"Lieutenant Jin. Would you be willing to meet, in advance, the men who are about to join our army — and offer me your judgment of them?"
I was startled by his words, but beside me my father, Jin Do, flinched harder still, his eyes going round.
The task Liu Bei meant to entrust to me: to meet the talent that would soon enter our ranks.
"You wish Cheong to screen the men who will join our army, my lord?"
I was surprised, but Father was more surprised still. I had taken the field any number of times, yet never once had I been charged with selecting talent.
"Yes. I shall temporarily grant you the post of Gongcao — the office that handles personnel affairs. Since we took southern Jingzhou, the number of men seeking appointment has grown considerably. I am not handing you full authority over appointments and postings. Simply meet them once before any office is conferred, and then tell me what you think."
"Meet the talent and give you my opinion?"
"Exactly so. Not at once. I will arrange a place for you a week from now. And if the task does not sit well with you, you need not take it on."
That was Liu Bei's reasoning.
The talent of Jingzhou, drawn by our army's growing renown, was flocking to us. Some came laden with wealth; others came to display their skill.
So he wanted me to meet them first and offer my judgment of what they were worth.
At first I felt faintly awkward. All I had done until now was fight, after all.
And yet, on the other hand, it might prove a fine opportunity. Was not the gathering of talent one of the great pleasures of the Three Kingdoms? And above all, I possessed knowledge of the future. If I recognized a name, I might give a precise assessment. Who knew? I might even meet someone extraordinary here.
"Yes, my lord. I accept the command."
I bowed at the waist, and Liu Bei smiled, clearly satisfied.
"My lord, may I ask why you charged Cheong with meeting these men?"
After parting from Jin Cheong, Jin Do put the question to Liu Bei as he escorted him back to his quarters. Liu Bei considered a moment before he answered.
"It is only a conjecture of mine, but that child seems to possess a certain sense. A sense for recognizing talent."
"A sense for talent, my lord?"
"Yes. Think first of when Zhuge Liang first arrived. Many at the time looked on him with disfavor — a scholar who had appeared from nowhere and claimed a high seat. Yet that child treated him with the full courtesy and reverence one would show a hero of the age."
Jin Do's face took on a thoughtful look, and Liu Bei continued.
"And then Guo Jun and Wang Wei. Guo Jun was a man I had already had my eye on, but Wang Wei was not someone I had considered at all. It was that child's advice that allowed me to bring him in."
"Hearing it put that way, I suppose there is something to it…"
"I am saying she clearly has some gift or instinct for it. Whether it is a woman's intuition, a truly exceptional eye — or who knows? Perhaps she can even see the future? Hahaha!"
"Haha…! Surely not, my lord."
Liu Bei tossed off the joke, and Jin Do laughed with a touch of awkwardness. The future, of all things?
"There is no need to take it so seriously. I intend to meet them all myself in any case. For that child, it is simply a chance to gain experience. And even if it is only a woman's intuition — what of it? If it helps us gather still better talent, what does the source matter?"
A week later, I sat in full formal dress in the place Liu Bei had prepared for me.
My heart beat a little faster. Talent. What sort of people would I see? I felt rather like an interviewer by accident.
Honestly, I had no special knack for analyzing talent or rendering judgment. That was the sort of work Liu Bei and Cao Cao excelled at.
But I had something no one else possessed: knowledge of the Three Kingdoms.
If a name I knew appeared, I need only give a favorable assessment based on that knowledge. Who could say? I might meet someone truly outstanding here.
"Lieutenant Jin. The gentlemen seeking appointment this time have arrived."
"Very well. Show them in."
A junior clerk waiting outside spoke, and I gave leave for them to enter. A moment later, two well-built men came through the door.
"Please, come in. A pleasure to meet you both. Do sit down."
The two men offered friendly greetings and took their seats. I served them tea and spoke.
"My name is Jin Cheong. I hold the rank of Lieutenant, and at present I am temporarily charged with the duties of Gongcao. May I ask your names?"
Now — give me your names. Speak the right ones, and your path to advancement is all but assured.
"Fan Jiang."
"I am Zhang Da."
Wait… what?
"I— I see. Yes. Fan Jiang and Zhang Da. Haha…"
I had momentarily forgotten. The Three Kingdoms was not populated solely by men of ability. The trolls were every bit as numerous.
Both of them looked perfectly ordinary, so I had never imagined it would be these two.
Why did they never appear in the Three Kingdoms games? The sort whose very faces radiated ill will. Of course, one ought not judge a man by his looks…
Honestly, I had hoped for someone at least on the level of Yin Guan or the like, even if not a named figure like Pang Tong or Ma Liang.
But still. For the very first talent I was assigned to evaluate to be Fan Jiang and Zhang Da — that was a bit much, wasn't it?
"You look unwell. Have we somehow given offense?"
"No — no, offense? Not at all."
"Or is something about this arrangement inconvenient?"
"Nothing of the kind. Please don't trouble yourselves."
I waved a hand and struggled to keep my expression under control.
Even so, looking at them in this moment alone, it was hard to picture these as the men who would one day assassinate Zhang Fei and flee.
"Well, if nothing is amiss, that is a relief. Heh heh heh."
They narrowed their eyes and laughed low in their throats, then at once returned to ordinary faces.
"Lieutenant Jin Cheong's renown is well known to us. To meet you in person is truly an honor. Heh heh."
Whether it was the colored lens through which I was viewing them, I could not say — but something faintly unpleasant clung to their laughter.
If only they would try some foolishness right now, I could break their legs with a club and throw them out on the spot.
But to visit violence without cause upon men who had come seeking appointment would only pour ill repute over Liu Bei's army.
More than that, I held no final authority. Liu Bei would make the ultimate decision in any case.
I spoke with them for a time, and nothing resembling real skill or particular merit presented itself. If anything, they seemed more interested in flattery than in demonstrating ability.
Beyond that, no glaring flaw stood out either — setting aside the fact that they rather soured my mood.
Judging by this moment alone, they seemed the sort who, provided they committed no crime, could be set to fixed, simple duties and left alone. Of course, keeping them well away from Zhang Fei was not something I intended to forget.
"Well then, we shall take our leave. We hope you will speak kindly of us."
The conversation ended, and the two of them went out. Fine. What did it matter if they were not talent? Gathering the gifted was important here, yes — but clearing out the trolls was every bit as vital. Those two must never, under any circumstances, be sent to Zhang Fei.
I soothed myself with that thought.
"Lieutenant Jin. Will you see the next gentlemen?"
"Yes, they may come in."
Once again, two men entered together. But after meeting Fan Jiang and Zhang Da, my expectations had cooled somewhat. Still, I must not give up. Who knew what talent might walk through the door next?
I introduced myself first, then asked their names.
"I am Zhao Lei."
"I am Xi Zhen."
I flinched…
R-right…! These were the sort of people I had hoped for. Named figures, even…!
"You look unwell, Lieutenant. Are you feeling poorly?"
"Ah — no, I'm fine…"
Déjà vu.
Their names might sound rather unfortunate, but these were good men.
Zhao Lei would one day rise as high as Chief Controller, remaining at Guan Yu's side in Jingzhou to the very end before being taken prisoner by Wu. Xi Zhen would resist Wu to the last and finally take his own life.
They were more than fine men — it was only the names that were the problem. And it was something of a mercy, at least, that Xie Jing had not come along with them. (In truth, Xie Jing was a man of Wu and could not have come here in any case.)
As I spoke with Zhao Lei and Xi Zhen, I turned over in my mind how I ought to report them to Liu Bei. I also reminded myself that, one day, I would have to save their lives in Jingzhou.
Aside from having to manage my expression every time their names were mentioned, everything went well. In both ability and character, they were clearly superior to the two who had come before.
Zhao Lei and Xi Zhen finished speaking and withdrew. A short while later, the next candidate entered. This time, it was a single man.
The newcomer carried an air that was anything but ordinary.
A cool face, lips firmly set. Every movement restrained and precise, without a single wasted gesture.
One look was enough. This man was genuine talent.
"Welcome. My name is Jin Cheong. I hold the rank of Lieutenant and am currently serving as temporary Gongcao."
His eyebrows lifted. Then a low voice settled into my ear.
"I am called Pan Jun."
For all the bluntness of his words, excitement began to rise inside me.
This was it! Real talent had finally arrived!