Rather Than Zhang Ran, Zhang Bao’s Eldest Daughter

A natural mid-low tone, completely different from the intentionally lowered voice of the soldier. The voice came not from among the spectators, but from where the soldiers and the parties involved had emerged.

“And to think it’s a quarrel over gambling. Unbelievable. This is not right.”

The man was young. At most in his mid-20s. He was a rare, strapping man in this era where people were generally small and prematurely aged due to poor nutrition and growth.

A tall stature slightly under 8 chi (184cm) and a robust physique bearing clear traces of training. Though not wearing armor, he was carrying a sword, so he seemed to be someone in the military.

The soldiers, at first overwhelmed by the man’s physique, hesitated, but when they realized he was alone, they seemed to gain courage and raised their heads.

“Who are you? Mind your own business and be on your way. Why make a big fuss out of this?”

“If you were taking that man to the magistrate’s office for proper judgment, I would have stayed quiet. If that man is at fault, the magistrate will punish him, so why are you trying to take matters into your own hands?”

“Ha, shi… This one doesn’t listen to reason.”

“Let’s just lay him out too!”

There were three soldiers. Although he had a sword, the soldiers were also carrying swords. Even swordsmen called Sword Masters recommend fleeing in such situations when faced with multiple opponents.

Because no matter how skilled one is, it’s extremely difficult to win unscathed against multiple armed opponents unless it’s an environment like a battlefield where the atmosphere overwhelms human psyche. Moreover, the man wasn’t even wearing armor.

Still, knowing that drawing swords would make the situation truly irreversible, they rushed in barehanded at first.

The man fearlessly closed the distance with the soldiers. With leopard-like swift steps, he dove into the soldier who had come forward the most. It happened in an instant. The man’s fist slammed into the soldier’s stomach. Despite wearing armor, the soldier’s body crumpled, unable to withstand the impact.

Perhaps shocked that their comrade had fallen with one blow, the soldiers who had been approaching confidently changed direction. Maybe their pride was hurt by showing such an unsightly appearance in the center of public attention. One soldier unconsciously reached for his sword.

A simple fistfight and a sword fight are completely different in terms of severity. I let go of Yeni’s hand to intervene immediately.

However, the man’s hand was even faster. Already close to them and in a fighting stance, his eyes changed as soon as the soldier grabbed his sword.

If until now he had seemed like a martial arts instructor dealing with disciples, now he was sharp like a detective rushing in to catch a murderer in the act.

Crack!

Unlike when he targeted the armored abdomen earlier, this time the man mercilessly struck the jaw. It was a blow that made it seem like the soldier might have been slightly lifted into the air. And before the remaining one could even come to his senses, he finished him off.

In barely a minute, the man had laid three soldiers on the ground. Even the spectators were so dumbfounded that not only were there no cheers, but even breathing sounds were barely audible.

Amidst the silence that had fallen, the man opened his mouth.

“You there. Stay put.”

The man’s target was the man who had been surrounded by the soldiers. The man, who had been slowly trying to move away from the scene while the man and soldiers were fighting, let out a “Hiiik” sound and buried his head.

“Everyone, stand back! Stand back!”

Having heard of the commotion in the market, a group of soldiers came rushing in. It seems the security patrol that had been patrolling nearby in this densely populated area had arrived.

The one leading the soldiers at the front was someone I knew. I stepped forward to resolve the situation. As I walked towards the security patrol, the man who was the main culprit of the incident tried to stop me and stepped forward.

“Young lady, I will testify, so there’s no need for you to step forward…”

“I am General Who Protects the Flank, Zhang Ran. You, I recognize you. You were under General Wei Yan, weren’t you? I witnessed the entire commotion, so I’ll handle it myself.”

“Ah, so you were General Who Protects the Flank. I understand. Should we first arrest all of them?”

“Before that, let’s hear what that man has to say.”

Perhaps because I revealed my identity as General Who Protects the Flank, I spoke to the man who looked slightly surprised:

“What do you think?”

“Ah… Young lady, no, General, didn’t you see?”

“You came from inside. I asked because I wondered if you knew why they caused such a disturbance.”

The man hesitated for a moment before answering:

“It was a fight over gambling. That man is a gambler. He deceived the soldiers, and when the soldiers realized this, they resorted to violence.”

When capturing Chengdu this time, Liu Bei opened Yi Province’s treasury and generously distributed wealth to his subordinate soldiers. While they had quite a bit of money from the war, those unfamiliar with such scams would have been excellent targets for gamblers.

But if there was something he overlooked, it was that these were extremely violent individuals who had already been through life-and-death battles.

“Then why did you stop the soldiers? Wasn’t that man the one who committed the wrong?”

“Even if they are victims, resorting to private violence is not the right way. There are magistrate’s offices, officials, and laws to judge right and wrong and mete out rewards and punishments. If they had intended to take the gambler to the magistrate’s office, I wouldn’t have stopped them.”

It was an orthodox argument that Zhuge Liang would approve of. Even in modern times, private punishment is a controversial topic, but in this era, private punishment was quite common. In chaotic times, what protects you is not distant laws but your nearby fists.

However, as Liu Bei took control of Yi Province and Zhuge Liang set about reorganizing the administrative and legal systems, private punishment was prohibited. Although the Shu Code hadn’t been created yet, by grinding down Zhuge Liang and the outstanding talents under him, at least in Chengdu, a proper administrative system had been established. In ancient times, administration was also judiciary, so going to the magistrate’s office for trial was the right way.

Courage to face three armed soldiers without fear, excellent martial skills, and furthermore, a thorough understanding of the law. He was talented. I had a hunch. This man was an extraordinary figure.

“Come to think of it, I don’t even know who you are. What’s your name?”

To my question, the man gave a proper military salute and said:

“I am Liu Xun, a Dunzhang under General Lei Tong.”

“Liu Xun?”

The name sounded familiar somehow.

Since recalling my previous life, I had carefully recorded everything that seemed useful whenever I remembered it. Especially for people, even if I didn’t remember their deeds, I made sure to note down their names if they came to mind.

The reason Liu Xun’s name sounded familiar was probably because it was a name in my previous life’s memories. Perhaps it was because I considered talents of Shu particularly important. I recalled some vague information about the name Liu Xun.

“Is your courtesy name Huxian?”

“Ah, do you know me?”

That’s right.

I naturally drew a round arc on my lips while focusing on controlling my expression so that the corners of my mouth wouldn’t rise.

Why had I forgotten? I must have forgotten because I was only thinking about how to catch the big fish named Wang Ping when I got to Baxi.

Liu Xun. An old general who was active as Jiang Wei’s confidant after Zhuge Liang’s death. Among the later generals of Shu, he was truly one of the top talents.

“Would you like to become my subordinate?”

§

“So that happened? To think such a person was a Dunzhang, what a pity.”

Liu Bei, after hearing the details of what happened in the market, laughed pleasantly and said.

That day, I immediately went to Lei Tong and requested him to send Liu Xun to me, and Lei Tong willingly let go of Liu Xun, who was only a Dunzhang. As a surrendered general who had come over from Liu Zhang to Liu Bei, he must have been considering my feelings too.

Having thus brought Liu Xun under my command that very day, I submitted a memorial to Liu Bei with a brief report on the market incident and a request to promote him to Colonel.

Liu Bei, as soon as he received it, called me directly, which led to the current situation.

“Then…”

“Yes. I’ll grant him the position of Colonel. I was planning to accept most of the personnel you wanted to use in your army anyway. I didn’t expect you to discover such a new talent, but it’s a good thing.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

“Well. That should be enough, so now let’s talk not as lord and subject, but as uncle and niece.”

Liu Bei, who had dramatically promoted Liu Xun from a mere Dunzhang to Colonel despite such a small merit in the market incident, changed the subject as if it were nothing.

Hmm, if it’s an uncle-niece relationship, he must want to talk about family matters. I think I heard a rumor that Liu Shan was whining about wanting to see me.

As I waited for Liu Bei’s words with some tension, Liu Bei, perceiving my state, burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Why are you so tense? Do you think I’m going to tell you to marry A’dou again? How could I try to confine you in the palace after watching your achievements with my own eyes? I want to use you as a general.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? The reason I’m saying this is because I want to give you your courtesy name.”

“My courtesy name, you personally, my lord?”

The courtesy name is a name culture that countries belonging to the East Asian Chinese character cultural sphere have. Who gives the name? As in most cases it’s given by parents or grandparents, the courtesy name was also often given by such relatives.

Sometimes friends would give each other matching names, like in the case of Zhou Yu and Zhuge Jin. Zhou Yu’s courtesy name ‘Gong’ taken from Zhuge Jin’s name, and Zhuge Jin’s courtesy name ‘You’ taken from Zhou Yu’s name. But I thought Zhou Yu was a set with Sun Ce, so I don’t know why he matched with Zhuge Jin. Maybe because Sun Ce was his lord.

“I personally gave your father Yide his courtesy name as well.”

It seems Liu Bei and my father’s courtesy names were such cases too. Xuande and Yide. They were similar. Moreover, my father said he had known Liu Bei since childhood before meeting Guan Yu, so Liu Bei, with his amazing eye for people, might have given him a matching courtesy name in advance to bring my father in as his man.

Then is giving me a courtesy name in the same context? Am I thinking too deeply? Liu Bei is my lord, but privately he’s my uncle. Considering that their sworn brotherhood is even closer than blood brothers, he’s practically my real uncle.

“Have you perhaps arranged to receive your courtesy name from someone else?”

“Ah, no. I was just too honored. I’m just happy that you’re personally giving it to me, Uncle.”

“Haha, is that so? I did ask Yide for permission to give it, but if you had a prior arrangement, wouldn’t it be proper to keep that? You have a connection with Military Advisor Pang, and you’re close with Shengming too, right?”

“Both of them are precious connections to me, but how could they compare to you, Uncle?”

At my flattering words, Liu Bei looked at me fondly and said:

“I should thank Yide. For giving birth to such a niece. Ran, do you know the story of King Wei of Qi?”

“Isn’t he the son of Duke Huan of Qi?”

“That’s right. Then you must know what Chunyu Kun said to him.”

The story of King Wei of Qi. It was from the Records of the Grand Historian.

The Duke Huan of Qi I mentioned is a different person from the famous Duke Huan of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period. His son, King Wei, ascended to the throne at a young age and was busy playing, leaving all state affairs to his subordinates.

Naturally, the country fell into chaos, with internal corruption rampant with bribery, and external borders frequently invaded. Unable to stand by, Chunyu Kun sought an audience with the king and said this:

‘In this country’s palace lives a great bird. But for three years, it neither flies nor sings. Do you know what kind of bird it is?’

The story of ‘neither flying nor singing’ that people who have read wuxia novels would often have seen came from here. It was a remark criticizing King Wei who had neglected state affairs for years, but later it was often used to describe someone deliberately keeping quiet and waiting for the right time.

However, it wasn’t entirely wrong to use it in the latter way either. King Wei, who humbly accepted all of Chunyu Kun’s frank advice, immediately went on an inspection tour, meted out rewards and punishments to all local officials, quickly set internal affairs right, and showed the feat of sweeping away both internal and external troubles in an instant.

The story of King Wei of Qi, who later became a wise ruler opening the golden age of the state of Qi, was often known even in modern times by people who liked the Three Kingdoms. Why? Because King Wei of Qi appears in famous Three Kingdoms games.

I knew the story because I had a phase of being addicted to Three Kingdoms games, but Liu Bei recited Chunyu Kun’s words once again:

“Chunyu Kun said: ‘This bird, if it doesn’t fly, that’s all, but once it flies, it soars to the sky. If it doesn’t sing, that’s all, but once it sings, it startles people.'”

That bird.
If it doesn’t fly, that’s all it is.
But once it flies, it rises to the end of the sky.
If it doesn’t sing, that’s all it is.
But once it sings, it startles people.

“It sounds just like it’s talking about you, Uncle.”

It was a natural assessment. The difference would be that while that bird neither flew nor sang, Liu Bei couldn’t do so.

However, now that the hands that had broken his wings and suppressed him were gone, and the bit that had been blocking his mouth was removed, the world was paying attention to his flight.

“Yes. Until now, I neither flew nor sang. But now I’m starting to spread my wings and fly towards the sky. So I want you to be my song.”

“Me, you say?”

“They say when the phoenix sings, the chaotic world ends and a great peace arrives. I believe you will be the phoenix that ends this chaotic world. Can you accept my wish?”

Even amidst the long-lasting chaotic world, even in the midst of the night of history marked by war, death, and blood, not only the phoenix’s cry announcing the arrival of peace, but even the rooster’s crow announcing dawn had not sounded.

Then let me ring the bell myself. Let me become the cry that announces dawn.

Because that surely aligned with both my goal and Liu Bei’s great cause.

I gladly accepted the courtesy name Liu Bei gave me.

Mingjing (鳴驚).
A cry that will startle the world.
That was my courtesy name.