New Talents
Following the place Zhang Ren had pointed me to, I found Yu Eun without much difficulty.
One thing caught me off guard. I had assumed he would be younger than me — after all, the records said he lived well past the fall of Shu Han, into the next generation. Yet here he was, a young man in his mid-twenties. That would have made him nearly sixty during Jiang Wei's northern campaigns.
If he can make his mark while he's still young, he'll be a tremendous asset.
"I never expected the famous Pian-general to come calling in person," he said. "Had I known, I would have prepared a proper reception."
"Not at all. I'm the one who should apologize for arriving unannounced."
"And you say you wish to recruit me? What exactly have you seen in me…?"
"I've known of your reputation for some time, Yu Eun. That you are a man of upright character, and courageous as well. I've had my eye on you for a while — I simply never found the time until now."
He laughed awkwardly and waved a hand.
"I've heard that even here in Yizhou, there is scarcely a soul who doesn't know of the Pian-general's talent and integrity. To receive praise from someone like you leaves me at a loss for words. But the truth is, I have accomplished nothing of note. My abilities fall far short of yours."
"I didn't start out with achievements either. I first took the field at twelve. From then on I built my skills piece by piece, and that is how I arrived here. There is still a long road ahead of me."
"Twelve… I'm twenty-five this year, and you've walked the path of arms since you were a child. Meanwhile I've reached this age without accomplishing a single thing."
The somewhat passive light in his eyes began to shift.
"If you join us now, you will have every chance to achieve far greater things. Our lord supports anyone of ability so that they may fully realize their ambitions. It was he who elevated a twelve-year-old girl and set her on the path of a general. I will, of course, speak well of you to him. What do you say?"
"At this point, I am the one who wishes to plead with you. Please take me with you. This Yu Eun will follow the Pian-general and make something of himself."
"The pleasure is entirely mine."
We stood facing each other and bowed deeply at the waist.
Having successfully persuaded Yu Eun, I brought him before Liu Bei and recommended him. Liu Bei was delighted to have gained such a fine talent.
"Just as the Pian-general said — a man of excellent martial skill and character. To obtain such a talent is a great blessing to me."
Then I made a request of him.
"I hope you will assign Yu Eun as my deputy."
"Yu Eun, you say? Hmm. You rarely ask me for anything — what wind has blown this way? Very well. I shall grant Yu Eun the rank of Duwei and appoint him as your deputy."
"Thank you."
"No need for thanks. How many talents have you brought me already? This much is only natural."
Liu Bei agreed readily. Having received his office, Yu Eun became my deputy — a reliable right-hand man I could lean on from this day forward.
Even after bringing Yu Eun on as my deputy, I continued using my knowledge of the Three Kingdoms to seek out young talents. Heeding Zhang Ren's advice, I always took Yu Eun along.
"My lord, I recommend Gou Fu. If you give him a position of importance, he will surely become a great strength to our army."
Gou Fu. A man of sparse records, yet one said to have been nearly the equal of Wang Ping — loyal and valiant.
Having confirmed Gou Fu's qualities, Liu Bei smiled broadly and nodded.
"A man of great potential. I shall grant Gou Fu an office."
"Thank you, my lord. I will serve you with every bone in my body."
Gou Fu was far from the only talent I recommended for appointment.
Zhang Yi — a general of both valor and virtue who distinguished himself in integrating and pacifying the non-Han peoples, and who later served with distinction in Zhuge Liang's northern campaigns. His judgment was said to be exceptional as well.
Ma Zhong — the man Liu Bei met after the defeat at Yiling and rejoiced over, saying, "I lost Huang Quan, but in his place I have gained Ma Zhong." Another figure outstanding in the governance and pacification of non-Han tribes.
Wang Si — who treated the Qiang people with good faith, brought them into submission, and stabilized the northern frontier. He was also said to have supported Jiang Wei's northern campaigns with supplies of woolens and grain.
He Zhi — a man of astonishing skill with hidden weapons and calculation, who would go on to be appointed magistrate of Chengdu County.
Wang Yi — known for applying the law with fairness and for his literary talent. An ideal candidate for civil administration.
And Yu Eun — now my deputy. Though he had only recently come under my command, his courage and diligence quickly earned my trust.
All of them were talents who would one day shoulder the middle and later years of Shu — yet none had been given positions of real importance yet.
Knowing the original history, I could tell what kind of people they were from their names alone. An extremely convenient ability. Or rather, simply knowledge.
As young, capable talents arrived one after another, Liu Bei — ever hungry for able men — welcomed them with both arms open. After meeting each of them, he assigned positions suited to their abilities and character.
"Pian-general," Yu Eun said, "how do you manage to find so many talented people? You are outstanding as a commander, but isn't your eye for people even more remarkable?"
"I simply seek out those who already have a name and recommend them to our lord. When it comes to reading people, our lord far surpasses me."
Yu Eun seemed to wonder whether I was running some secret network of informants he knew nothing about, but I simply brushed it off with a vague answer.
Beyond those, I kept seeking out every talent still lingering in my memory and bringing them in.
But it wasn't only people I liked. Where there is light, there is also shadow. As the ranks of talent filled out, those left in the dark began to appear.
As I recalled, men like Yang Yi and Peng Yang submitted memorials to Liu Bei, essentially demanding that their abilities be recognized. But Liu Bei cited their character and capacity and kept them in minor posts. My quiet advice to him played a part in that as well.
Yang Yi and Peng Yang. Both were assessed as men of real talent — but unfortunately, both were men of poor character. Yang Yi, in his later years, showed signs of betrayal; Peng Yang openly tried to use Ma Chao to stage a rebellion.
Had our faction been short of talent, it might have been different. But with Xu Shu, Pang Tong, and the people I had brought in already among us, it was better to keep potential sources of discord firmly in their place.
And I would keep holding on to the talents of the future so that none of them would leave. Ensuring that the day of Shu Han's talent shortage never came — that was my goal.
Beyond recruiting talent, I carried out a variety of tasks under Liu Bei's orders — military drills, civilian inspections, bandit suppression, and more.
And though it was rare, he sometimes entrusted me with diplomatic work of the sort usually left to civil officials. Just as he had now.
"General Zhang He. How does it feel, returning home?"
"Mm… how should I put it. Glad, I suppose…"
Indeed. I was currently serving as an envoy, escorting the prisoner Zhang He back to his own faction.
Of course, we were not returning him for free. Cao Cao had promised a vast quantity of treasure in exchange for Zhang He's return — a ransom befitting a general who enjoyed Cao Cao's full confidence.
Winning over the hearts of the people of Yizhou required considerable wealth, so Liu Bei accepted the deal.
It wasn't as though we had never tried to recruit Zhang He. But true to his reputation as one of Wei's Five Elite Generals, he had steadfastly refused to join our ranks.
I had kept the promise I made when I first captured him — to treat those taken prisoner as humanely as possible. The several thousand soldiers captured alongside Zhang He were no exception.
We hadn't feasted them, but we had shown them benevolence and made sure they lacked neither food nor clothing. A considerable number of those soldiers ended up swearing loyalty to us.
It had cost no small sum, of course — but the treasure Cao Cao was providing would more than cover it.
"General. The man approaching over there appears to be the official Cao Cao sent."
Looking where Yu Eun pointed, I saw an official in civil dress approaching the agreed meeting place with a company of soldiers.
"Greetings. I am Fu Jian, charged with this embassy. And you are…?"
"Yes. I am Jin Cheong. I have brought General Zhang He and the prisoners for transfer."
After a brief exchange of greetings with me, Fu Jian brightened at the sight of Zhang He.
"Ah! General Zhang He. What a relief to see you again!"
"Indeed. At last I am going home."
Yu Eun and I inspected the treasure Fu Jian had brought, then set about returning the prisoners.
"General Zhang He, this way…. But…?"
"What is it? Something wrong?"
Fu Jian looked at the prisoners' appearance with a puzzled expression.
"Are these men truly prisoners?"
"They are. My own men, captured with me in battle."
"It's just… they look rather well for men who have been held captive…"
He had probably expected filthy, emaciated soldiers. In an age with no concept of human rights, that was the natural state of a prisoner.
But these men had good color and looked well-fed and well-kept, which clearly baffled him.
"They are. Just take them and go."
"Yes, yes. Of course."
Before departing, Zhang He inclined his head slightly toward me — a brief gesture of thanks for the care I had shown him while he was a prisoner. I returned the nod in kind.
The soldiers, too, offered their farewells before leaving.
"General. I have a family to return to, but I will not forget how you looked after us."
"Thank you for everything, General."
Watching the scene, Fu Jian's expression grew even more bewildered.
"What are you lot doing? Get over here at once!"
At Fu Jian's bark, the soldiers finally scrambled into motion and hurried off.
Watching Zhang He and the soldiers disappear into the distance, Yu Eun spoke.
"I found it strange at first that you took such care of prisoners — but bestowing this kind of kindness may well prove worthwhile."
"Yes. They may become our people someday."
Once they were gone, Yu Eun and I turned and started back.