Lord Ma
"Military Advisor Xu Shu. It's been a long time."
"Lieutenant Jin. I heard you'd returned from Nanjun. Things have been so hectic lately that only now have I managed to see your face. I'm glad you made it back safely."
With the conquest of the four southern commanderies of Jingzhou, the territory they suddenly had to manage had multiplied several times over — so of course he was busy. I hadn't had time either since my return, occupied as I was meeting new talent alongside Liu Bei.
At least I'd managed to see Xu Shu today. As for the others who'd recently joined — Pang Tong, Ma Liang, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, and the rest — they were all stationed in one region or another, and I still hadn't laid eyes on a single one of them. Pang Tong especially. I really wanted to meet him.
"Still going out to gather medicinal herbs?"
"There's so much more work these days that I can't go nearly as often. Still, I was just about to head out today — perfect timing that you stopped by."
"Looks like I arrived at just the right moment. Come to think of it, this is the first time since we left Xinye."
"It is. And lately I've gone out a few times with Lord Ma."
"Lord Ma?"
Lord Ma — who could that be? Surely not…
"Ah, of course — you wouldn't have met him yet, Lieutenant. He joined our forces while you were still in Nanjun. Oh, speak of the devil — here he comes now."
A man came striding toward us with a spring in his step. He looked a few years older than me — a young man whose gait was lively and whose face wore a smile full of self-assurance.
As he drew near, Xu Shu introduced him.
"This is the Lord Ma I mentioned."
The man brightened and called out cheerfully.
"Well met, Advisor Xu! I see you've brought company today."
"Yes — this is…"
Xu Shu started to introduce me, but the man raised a hand to stop him.
"Ah! Just a moment. Let me try to guess who this is. Hmm, hmm. Surely this must be Jin Cheong — the young lady holding the rank of Lieutenant? Daughter of General Jin Do."
"We've only just met. What makes you think so?"
He continued with a thoroughly confident expression, spinning out a rather long speech almost without pausing for breath.
"I've heard the rumors — that our army has a beautiful woman of heroic renown serving as a Lieutenant. And that she only recently returned from distinguishing herself in Nanjun, which is why I hadn't seen her face until now. I've also heard she's close with Master Xu Shu, and that the two of you occasionally go mountain climbing together. So — is this not a long-awaited reunion, and are you not on your way up the mountain today? Factor in appearance and age as well, and the answer practically presents itself."
I flinched slightly at the word mountain climbing, but thanks to that, I was now certain who this man was. Ah. Of course it was him!
"Haha — as sharp as ever, Lord Ma."
"Hahaha! A deduction of this caliber is nothing at all."
He stroked his chin and smiled.
"Well then, Lord Ma — if you'd introduce yourself to Lieutenant Jin…"
"One moment! Then let me try a guess of my own."
I felt a little bad about constantly cutting Xu Shu off today, but the urge to match wits had seized me before I could stop myself. Xu Shu and the man both smiled faintly and gave me a look that said, Go on, then — try.
"Hmm… This gentleman's name is Ma Su, courtesy name Youxiang — am I right?"
He regarded me with intrigued eyes.
"And what makes you think so?"
"Not long ago, our lord recruited two members of the famous Five Constants of the Ma clan — Ma Liang and Ma Su. Advisor Xu addressed you as Lord Ma, so you must be one of the two. But I've heard that your elder brother, Ma Liang, is renowned as the White-Browed One, with eyebrows white as snow. Yours are black — so you can't be Ma Liang. That leaves Ma Su."
Ma Su's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh! Correct. How sharp of you."
"Didn't I tell you? She's a clever one."
He bowed at the waist with proper courtesy.
"Yes, that's right, young lady. I am Ma Su, courtesy name Youxiang. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"I'm Jin Cheong. The pleasure is mine — I look forward to working with you."
I'd always pictured Ma Su as someone who never listened to others and was thoroughly self-absorbed. After all, there was that famous episode where he ignored Zhuge Liang and Wang Ping, moved his army on his own authority, and met with disaster…
But setting aside a tendency to talk a bit much and show off his intellect, he was perfectly well-mannered. Then again, Zhuge Liang had been fond of him — so he probably wasn't the arrogant type after all.
From the way they spoke, the two of them had grown quite close while I was away in Nanjun.
"Master Xu Shu shares my fondness for mountain climbing, you see — that's how we became friends."
Wait. Was mountain climbing actually his hobby? For real?
"Ah — as I've said before, it isn't that I particularly enjoy climbing. I go up the mountains to gather medicinal herbs."
"Same difference, isn't it? Couldn't you just send servants to gather the herbs?"
"Come now, that's not it at all. When I go myself, I can spot the good ones with my own eyes. And moving the body helps settle the mind — brings a certain peace of spirit."
"That is enjoying it."
Xu Shu raised his objections, and Ma Su grinned as he fired right back. Still, watching the two of them banter like this, they did seem genuinely close.
Xu Shu and Ma Su — of all combinations. It left me a little dazed, but in any case, the three of us decided to head up the mountain.
Mountain climbing with Ma Su felt a touch ominous, but this wasn't a battlefield. Nothing would go wrong.
The climb… proceeded without any major trouble. Setting aside Ma Su's somewhat exhausting personality, that is.
"Oh my — here's an herb perfect for Mother's tonic."
As Xu Shu eagerly dug up the plant, Ma Su launched into a monologue beside him.
"Master Xu Shu is truly a renowned filial son. This reminds me of an old tale — from the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, about a man named Liu Heng. His filial devotion was so profound it was known throughout the realm. Even at night he never slept deeply, and the moment his mother called, he would rush to attend her. What's more, whenever a bitter decoction was prepared, he always tasted it himself first before bringing it to her. Seeing Master Xu Shu care for his mother with such devoted sincerity brings that story to mind."
Xu Shu gave an awkward laugh.
"Haha… You flatter me."
Scritch. Scritch.
The three of us squatted among the mountain greenery, pulling up herbs. And through it all, Ma Su's mouth never stopped moving.
He rattled on like a machine-gun rapper, so that even the sound of herbs being pulled from the earth started to feel like backup percussion. Didn't he get tired talking like that? The constant chatter kept things from getting dull, but it was a bit overwhelming.
"Come to think of it, I heard that Master Jin Cheong rescued Master Xu Shu's mother. Such valor calls to mind the great champions of antiquity. I understand you're skilled on horseback — which puts me in mind of Guan Ying, the fierce general of the Former Han. As everyone knows, he too was a master of cavalry, following Emperor Gaozu of Han and distinguishing himself in countless battles…"
"Ah — Guan Ying? That's far too generous a comparison."
I laughed, a little embarrassed.
Ma Su had a particular style when he spoke: elevating the other person while simultaneously showing off his own knowledge. And the balance between those two impulses was remarkably well-calibrated. Listening long enough, even I nearly found myself getting swept up a time or two.
"But Lord Ma — have you always enjoyed mountain climbing?"
I asked out of genuine curiosity. How could I not? In the modern world, this was the man who'd earned the nickname — sarcastic though it was — of the Three Kingdoms' King of Mountain Climbing.
"The Art of War says: 'An army prefers high ground and dislikes low ground.' Conversely, it also warns never to attack recklessly when the enemy holds the heights. Look there — from a vantage like this, the entire region lies open before us, does it not? One day I too shall lead an army, and when I climb to places like this, I find myself imagining the battles I would choose to fight. I picture the enemy faltering under the sheer intimidation of a force that has already seized the high ground. Hmm — if one were to seal off that area and launch a surprise attack…?"
I've got a bad feeling about this. This isn't Mount Jieting, is it?
"…No matter how numerous the enemy, if one holds firm as Mount Tai itself, they will eventually submit. Is it not said that one must never attack rashly when the enemy occupies high ground?"
At the slightest provocation he would pull out historical anecdotes or passages from military treatises, dispensing them like a vending machine. He was practically a walking encyclopedia with voice support.
But listening carefully, there were moments when I wondered — Is that actually the right interpretation? Some of it felt exaggerated, or slanted toward whatever reading suited him best.
Honestly, I'd only skimmed the classics myself, so I couldn't even tell whether everything he said was correct.
What about Xu Shu, whose scholarship ran far deeper than mine?
Xu Shu would occasionally shrug a shoulder or tilt his head while listening — but he never raised any real objections.
Well. At least I'd gotten a clear read on Ma Su's temperament early. That was probably for the best.
And so I spent the hours with Xu Shu and Ma Su until the evening glow rose over the mountain across from us.
For a while after that, peaceful days continued — much like the ones I'd spent in Xinye when I first fell into this world.
Then one day, a small but significant ripple disturbed that quiet routine.
News of Liu Bei's marriage.
Lady Gan, Liu Bei's wife, had finally succumbed to illness, and Liu Bei was to take a new bride.
None other than Lady Sun — the younger sister of Sun Quan.