To Xiangyong
“My name is Guo Yi. I have been assigned to command His Highness Liu Shan’s guard unit. It is an honor to serve alongside the renowned General Jin Cheong.”
The man Liu Bei had appointed as Liu Shan’s chief of guards was none other than Guo Yi—a young officer with a rugged, formidable appearance.
“Very well. I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes! I will protect His Highness with my life!”
As the son of Guo Jun, he had been an outstanding figure even in the original history—possessing both skill and proven results. He had served Liu Shan all the way until the fall of Shu Han.
According to the records, when the nation fell he had donned plain mourning clothes and wailed for three full days. His ability and loyalty were beyond question. Having another capable man join us was a genuine relief.
Fei Yi, Deng Zhi, Wang Ping, and the others would soon receive their appointment letters from Liu Bei as well.
Fei Yi, Deng Zhi, Wang Ping, Guo Yi—and Liu Shan.
Add Yu Eun, who had already been with me, and the reinforcements to my unit’s lineup were considerable.
Still, one person left me uneasy.
That very person was smiling brightly at me right now.
“Your Highness. I am Jin Cheong. I shall serve you with all my strength from this day forward.”
“Yes, please take care of me. I don’t remember it myself, but I’ve been told ever since I was little that you saved me at Dangyang, General.”
“I merely did what was required of me.”
It felt like only yesterday that Zhao Yun had cradled the infant and broken through Dangyang. I had charged through the enemy lines at his side. Time truly flew.
While I was briefly lost in thought, his still-boyish voice reached me.
“But General, when do we leave?”
“As soon as matters here are settled, we will depart at once. Please wait just a little longer.”
“All right. I want to go soon.”
You really are completely unfazed… Ever since joining our unit he had been wandering around with that constant, cheerful grin. Ugh. I was worried sick, yet he looked utterly carefree.
It’ll be fine. It has to be fine…
“General Jin, so you’re leaving for Xiangyong now?”
“Yes. That is correct. I heard General Zhang is heading for the Ba commandery.”
Before departing I exchanged farewells with Zhang Fei. He clicked his tongue and smacked his lips.
“Hmm. This is a bit of a shame. Knowing I won’t see you for a while.”
“Yes. After fighting side by side all this time, I feel the same.”
It was no empty courtesy. Taming that temper of his had given me no end of headaches, yet from the moment I joined he had always been at my side, teaching me countless things.
The finer points of unit management, formations, command of troops—everything.
Thanks to him I now felt reasonably confident leading a force of my own.
“Right. You’re not the sort to rot away as my subordinate forever, General Jin. You’re the kind of talent who should command an army of your own.”
“It is all thanks to your instruction, General.”
“What did I ever do? It’s your own outstanding ability. You’ll go and achieve even greater deeds. I’ll stake my name on it.”
“Thank you for the kind assessment. I will redouble my efforts.”
“Good, good. And you, Zheng Sui!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
When Zhang Fei turned, Zheng Sui, who had been standing nearby, snapped to attention and answered.
“You’re thrilled you won’t have to look at my face anymore, aren’t you? Huh? Thrilled to death?!”
“N-No, sir! Absolutely not!”
“Enough! Go and serve General Jin well! Understood? If you start fumbling around again I’ll come running and thrash your backside!”
“Yessir! Understood! I will serve her with all my loyalty!!!”
“That’s more like it! I like that!”
Zheng Sui bellowed until the veins stood out on his neck, and the three of us shared a brief laugh.
Incidentally, Zheng Sui was coming with me as well. We had grown close over time, and he had distinguished himself in the Hanzhong campaign, so my recommendation had been accepted.
Right up until the moment of parting, Zhang Fei could not hide his regret.
“I’ve benefited greatly from you all this time. Learned a lot, too.”
“I myself have learned a great deal from you, General Zhang.”
“There’ll come a day when we stand on the same battlefield again, won’t there?”
“We serve the same lord, do we not? It will surely come to pass.”
And so I took my leave of Zhang Fei.
“I am Fei Yi. We have only exchanged greetings a few times before, so I am truly delighted to be working together like this.”
“Wang Ping. You recommended me to our lord, General. I will do my utmost to repay that kindness.”
“Deng Zhi. I look forward to working with you.”
At last. The talents I had hoped for had arrived. The moment Liu Bei received my request he had dispatched them to me.
Fei Yi was, as expected, the cheerful, open type who put everyone at ease—a natural charmer.
Wang Ping looked every inch the born soldier; one glance at his face seemed to declare, “I am a military man.”
Deng Zhi, as I had already sensed when we marched to Hanzhong together, was the iron-walled sort whose bluntness made him hard to approach.
Each possessed a completely different character, yet every one of them was the genuine article when it came to ability.
“Yes. I look forward to working with all of you as well.”
If things went according to my plan, they would play major roles in defending Xiangyong and Jingzhou. (Wang Ping had not been part of the original plan, yet I had no doubt he would prove a great asset.)
Looking over our unit, now fully prepared to march, Liu Shan let out a cry of admiration.
“Wow! General, this is amazing. Does that mean we’re leaving now?”
“Yes, Your Highness. We will set out for Xiangyong. It will be a rather long journey—will you be all right?”
“I’m fine. I may not look it, but I can ride a horse reasonably well.”
The completely unexpected addition to our party gazed up at me with sparkling eyes.
“…Yes. That is excellent. Then we shall depart.”
After all those twists and turns, I set out for Xiangyong with three thousand troops.
Fortunately, Liu Shan’s claim that he could ride was no empty boast.
“Father always said a man must know how to ride well.”
Whatever else Liu Bei may have neglected, he had apparently taken horsemanship education seriously. Perhaps because he himself had spent a lifetime being driven from place to place, he had raised his son the same way.
Liu Shan was now twelve. Old enough to manage a horse well enough. At the very least we would not be slowed down on the march. For reference, I was twenty-four—exactly a full cycle older than him.
“General. How did you become so brave? I heard about the fighting in Hanzhong—it sounded truly incredible. But aren’t you afraid when you go out to war like that?”
“I merely seek to repay our lord’s grace.”
“Even so, I heard you defeated that man Cao Zhang of Wei. Father was extremely proud of that.”
“He was no easy opponent, truth be told. Should the day come when we face each other again, I will meet him as a warrior ought.”
Cao Zhang… In our first clash I had forced him back once with a reverse shot—turning in the saddle to loose an arrow. We had crossed blades a couple more times after that, yet never settled the score.
Still, every time we fought I had the distinct sense that he was very much aware of me. Though he had withdrawn when we won the campaign, I could not shake the feeling that an unavoidable confrontation still awaited us both.
We continued exchanging such talk as the march went on, and at last we arrived at Xiangyong.
Xiangyong Castle was already under fierce assault from Liu Feng and Meng Da, who had arrived ahead of us.
“General Jin. You must have had a hard journey coming all this way.”
“…I received word. Welcome…”
Liu Feng greeted me warmly enough, but Meng Da looked distinctly put out. No doubt he felt he could have managed perfectly well on his own, and now, after Liu Feng, I had shown up as well—enough to sour his mood.
In the original history the two of them had squabbled so badly that they failed to reinforce Guan Yu. That failure was often cited as a cause of Jingzhou’s loss and Guan Yu’s death.
As if that were not enough, Meng Da later handed Xiangyong over to Wei and defected. So I did not feel particularly sorry about the present situation.
“Yes. By our lord’s command I have come to support the capture of Xiangyong.”
“Indeed. Having you here is reassuring, General. The fall of Xiangyong is now only a matter of time.”
Because I had once saved him in Hanzhong, Liu Feng showed no discomfort at my arrival. If anything, he seemed mildly pleased.
Between him and Meng Da, however, a distinctly sour atmosphere hung in the air. From the look of things they had already been locked in a war of nerves before I arrived.
Their relationship was their own affair; the important matter was the capture of Xiangyong. We did not drag it out.
Unable to withstand the combined pressure of myself, Liu Feng, and Meng Da, Xiangyong Castle raised the white flag.
The brothers Shen Tan and Shen Yi, who had been holding the city, threw open the gates and welcomed us.
“I am Shen Tan. From this day forward I shall devote this body in loyalty to Lord Liu Bei.”
“I am Shen Yi. I too swear my loyalty to Lord Liu Bei. We know every inch of Xiangyong Castle as if it were the palm of our hand; we shall guide you at once.”
With greasy smiles they began bowing and scraping, eager to demonstrate just how loyal they were. Not content with words alone, they offered to send their families to Chengdu.
In this era, sending one’s family to the capital was another way of saying one was offering hostages. In other words: “Our families will be far away in Chengdu, so we will never dare betray you.”
Yet before long, after Meng Da fled to Wei, these very men would reverse their oaths as casually as turning over a hand.
Meng Da would invade Xiangyong together with Xu Huang, Xiahou Shang, and others, and the brothers would betray us once more. From inside the walls Shen Tan and Shen Yi would coordinate with Wei, drive out Liu Feng, and hand Xiangyong Castle over on a silver platter.
How long would their present loyalty last? From here on it would depend on what I did. Perhaps they would not entertain other thoughts until danger was staring them in the face. They were the sort who valued the stability they currently enjoyed above all else.
For the moment they were wearing the colors of our side, so I would have to play along. Treating them coldly now and giving them cause for resentment would only invite unnecessary trouble.
“Yes. Our lord will be delighted to have gained such fine retainers. I shall report it properly.”
“Thank you. Heh heh heh.”
When I spoke with a smile they expressed their gratitude in turn—smiles that inspired no particular fondness.
Now I would follow them, take full possession of the castle, stabilize Xiangyong, and put into motion the plan to aid Guan Yu.
Twelve years had passed since I came to this world. I had changed many things in that time, yet this would likely prove the greatest turning point of all.