Making Yizhou Entirely Ours
After persuading Zhang Lu, we met Ma Chao’s wife Lady Dong, his son Ma Chou, and Pang De.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Deng Zhi.”
“Hello. I am Jin Cheong. I have come by order of Left General Liu Bei to escort you.”
Deng Zhi still refrained from any breach of courtesy, yet his manner remained blunt. When I offered my greeting, however, the stiff expressions on their faces softened, if only a little.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
“Not at all. We merely carried out what was proper under our lord’s command.”
Lady Dong was a beauty a little past twenty. Cradling the still-young Ma Chou in her arms, she expressed her gratitude to us again and again.
Looking at her, I thought how fortunate it was that we had seen this through, even after crossing such harsh roads.
How would she have felt, in that other future, if her young son Ma Chou were murdered and she herself forced to become Yan Pu’s concubine?
And now the other reason that had brought me this far stepped forward to greet me.
“I am Pang De, courtesy name Yongming. I am truly grateful. Lord Ma Chao and Lord Ma Dai have never left my thoughts. Now I shall soon be able to see them.”
Pang De’s appearance matched the image I had carried in my mind exactly—broad shoulders and a face that spoke of unyielding integrity.
A fierce general who, together with Ma Chao, represented Xiliang. In later years he would be called the White Horse General during the Battle of Fancheng, display his might, and prove skilled enough with the bow to snipe even Guan Yu.
Historically he would enter Cao Cao’s service after the pacification of Hanzhong and achieve great renown, yet now he belonged to our army. In this future, at least, there would be no marching out with a coffin on his back.
“Yes. Both Lord Ma Chao and Lord Ma Dai have been highly employed by our lord. General Pang De will likewise receive excellent treatment. I will speak well of you.”
“I am grateful for everything, from first to last.”
Thus we took them with us and set out once more for Chengdu. The road home remained long and difficult, yet our hearts felt light.
“My lady, Ma Chou. And Pang De!”
Ma Chao’s reunion with his wife, his son, and Pang De after so long was also the moment the perpetual shadow of worry vanished from his face.
Deng Zhi and I received praise for our merits from Liu Bei, and Ma Chao’s heartfelt thanks as well.
Chengdu after several months away. Though I had never stayed long in the city, it greeted me with the familiar scent of home. Now that it would stand for years as the capital of Shu Han, perhaps that feeling was only natural.
When I had left, Chengdu still carried a restless air. Liu Zhang’s surrender had been recent, after all. Yet now the atmosphere felt far more settled.
One clear sign of that stability was the work of Pang Tong and Huang Quan.
Not long after my return to Chengdu, I saw Pang Tong riding back at the head of a column of troops and horses.
“Military Advisor Pang!”
“Ah, General Jin. I have heard much of your exploits in Hanzhong.”
“Lord Deng Zhi did nearly all of it.”
“I was told the idea was yours first. That makes it your merit as well.”
“Haha. But who are these people?”
I looked at the men being led along in ropes. Anyone could see they were prisoners taken after defeat in battle.
“We put down a band that had been stirring trouble in Ba Commandery. These are the ones we captured.”
The tale ran thus: men named Fu Hu and Du Hu had gathered followers and thrown Ba Commandery into disorder, so Pang Tong had gone with Huang Quan and suppressed them.
Fu Hu and Du Hu were names I remembered. In the original history they had remained in Ba Commandery until they surrendered to Cao Cao. This time, however, Pang Tong had moved before they ever met Cao Cao and wiped them out completely.
It was classic Fengchu—bold by nature and keenly aware of the moment to act. He had devised a daring plan once more, splitting the force in two so that Huang Quan lured the enemy while Pang Tong cut off their retreat and annihilated them. Du Hu, Fu Hu, and their like fell in battle; those who surrendered were bound and brought back under escort.
One detail still troubled me.
“Military Advisor… you didn’t push too far ahead this time, did you?”
When I lowered my voice to ask, Pang Tong flinched.
“Wh-what? No. I still remember what happened then. I no longer take needless risks, so set your mind at ease.”
“Truly?”
“Truly, of course.”
That much was true. Unlike the assault on Luocheng, Pang Tong now refrained from charging ahead himself and instead maintained firm control through a well-ordered system of messengers. Thankfully, the hardship at Luocheng had not been in vain.
Another thought struck me then—the very men Pang Tong was bringing in as captives.
Fu Hu and Du Hu had styled themselves kings of the barbarian tribes, yet neither was particularly outstanding. Under them, however, served one genuine talent.
Wang Ping. Historically Wang Ping would surrender to Liu Bei’s army during the Hanzhong campaign, but he had originally served under Fu Hu. Might he be among these prisoners?
“What will you do with them?”
“First present them to our lord. Then we will take in any who prove useful.”
Wang Ping might well be among them. I could not simply let such a man slip away.
I proposed to Liu Bei that he entrust me once more with the selection of talent, just as I had done earlier in Jingzhou.
Liu Bei agreed at once and temporarily restored me to the post of Gongcao—the officer charged with recommending appointments.
Among the captives I soon found Wang Ping. After speaking with him only briefly, I recommended him without the slightest hesitation.
Liu Bei met Wang Ping in person, valued him highly, and bestowed an official post. (Most of the others were simply enrolled as common soldiers.)
With a solid foundation of talent, Liu Bei began to make Yizhou wholly his own.
He ordered Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, Liu Ba, Li Ji, Li Yan and others to draft the Shu code of laws. At the same time he dispatched Xu Shu, Pang Tong, Sun Qian, Gan Yong and the rest to the various districts to settle the hearts of the people.
Little by little, Yizhou began to settle into our power as naturally as if it had always belonged to Liu Bei.
“My lady, it has already been many days since you began living in Chengdu. Is there anything that troubles you?”
“Hmm. I manage well enough. Aside from the occasional longing for home, I must admit it grows a little dull.”
From time to time I visited Lady Sun and kept her company in conversation. Part of me still fretted that she might cause some incident, yet she treated me with genuine goodwill, and I had come to regard her almost as a comfortable friend.
Fortunately Lady Sun caused no particular trouble, and her married life with Liu Bei remained reasonably harmonious.
Even so, I still found it hard to form a firm judgment about her. Sun Ren living in Chengdu rather than Wu—here was the limit of a possessor’s foresight. Faced with a situation history had never prepared me for, I could only feel frustrated. All I could do was maintain our friendship and hope nothing untoward occurred.
“But have you no thought of marriage? You are already nineteen.”
“My lady, last time did you not tell me I must never marry?”
I smiled as I spoke, and Sun Ren gave an awkward laugh.
“That day I had been drinking and spoke like a child. I worry I may have said something needless and blocked your path.”
“Please do not concern yourself. I simply have not married yet of my own free will.”
“Even if it is not a political match like mine, you ought to meet someone you feel is fated. If you find it difficult, shall I introduce a suitable partner?”
“I wish to live my life as a general. Once married, would it not become harder to walk that road?”
“Even I cannot break that stubbornness of yours.”
In this world, nineteen already counted as an old maid. Under ordinary circumstances a woman would have been married long before.
But was I ordinary? My father had occasionally dropped hints, asking whether I had any thought of marriage. Each time I gave him the same answer I had given Lady Sun.
“I am sorry, Father, but I wish to remain a general rather than a woman, and so I still have no desire to marry.”
Knowing my stubbornness well, he pressed no further—only pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed.
I felt a twinge of guilt, yet precisely because I was no ordinary woman I felt even less inclination to marry anyone. I steered the conversation elsewhere.
“If anything in your daily life proves difficult, or if there is something you wish to say, please tell me at any time.”
“I always seem to be in your debt. Ah—take this. It is the tea you like.”
Lady Sun handed me a neatly wrapped package of tea. Seeing the charming wrapping, I thought how greatly a person could change.
“Thank you, my lady. When I first visited you, I brought tea packaged just like this.”
“Hearing that brings it back. That day I sat before you and poured out every complaint I had, euk—ugh!”
At her words old memories rose and a smile nearly formed—until she suddenly retched, startling me.
“M-my lady? What is wrong? Are you unwell?”
“Lately my stomach has been unsettled at times—uugh! It is nothing severe, so do not worry…”
“I should summon a physician at once.”
I rose to call someone when a servant entered.
“General Jin, are you here? Our lord summons you urgently. You must go to the main hall at once.”
“What has happened?”
“I do not know the details, but it seems a grave matter has arisen. Generals are gathering one after another.”
I looked back at Sun Ren with concern; she quickly waved me on.
“Do not worry about me—go at once. It must be important.”
“Yes. Then I shall visit again another day. Please be sure to call a physician.”
Leaving my worry behind, I hurried toward the main hall.
What could it be?
I already had a fair idea.
Not long ago word had reached us that Cao Cao had at last conquered Hanzhong. He appointed the surrendered Zhang Lu as General Who Conquers the South, granted him a fief of ten thousand households, and treated him with great generosity.
Afterward he left Xiahou Yuan, Zhang He and others to hold Hanzhong and returned to Yecheng. Yet that was not the end.
Zhang He must have invaded Baxi.
I recalled the record: after subduing Zhang Lu, Zhang He had advanced into Baxi and attempted to relocate its people to Hanzhong—only for Zhang Fei to drive him back.
Because I had stepped into the current of history, however, the event was unfolding roughly a year earlier than it should have.
Ordering my thoughts, I arrived at the main hall.
Generals and advisors had already gathered. Liu Bei began a brief explanation of the situation.
“Word has come that Zhang He is advancing on Baxi. His force numbers roughly twenty to thirty thousand. We must therefore dispatch a unit at once to drive them out.”
Just as I had expected.
“Zhang Fei!”
“Yes!”
“I give you ten thousand men. Drive Zhang He away.”
“I receive the command! From this day forward I will make that Zhang He fellow seize up at the mere sound of the name Zhang Fei!”
Though the ten thousand he received were fewer than the enemy, Zhang Fei’s spirit remained undimmed. Liu Bei nodded once and continued.
“Wu Ban, Lei Tong, Wang Ping, and Jin Cheong—I appoint you all as Zhang Fei’s deputy generals.”
So I was being sent as well. This time I would take the field as Zhang Fei’s subordinate.
“I receive the command.”
I stepped forward beside the three generals, clasped my hands, and bowed.