Rather Than Zhang Ran, Zhang Bao’s Eldest Daughter

Ma Chao the Splendid.
In the Romance, he was called the Golden Ma Chao of Xiliang, and among the Qiang people, he was called the Divine Might Celestial General with utmost reverence – a great man of destiny.
Succeeding his father Ma Teng as the warlord of Xiliang, he maintained a powerful influence over the barbarian tribes, exerting his might until just before his death despite repeated defeats by Cao Cao.
And in Yi Province, which frequently interacted with and even coexisted with barbarian tribes as neighbors, Ma Chao’s reputation was indescribable.
If such a man joined them, Liu Zhang would surely accept that there was no more hope and raise the white flag. But couldn’t people like Pang Tong or Liu Bei have had such thoughts?

“But isn’t Ma Chao under Zhang Lu’s command?”
Currently, Ma Chao was serving as a guest general under Zhang Lu. Since Zhang Lu, who ruled Hanzhong, had long been at odds with Yi Province, naturally Ma Chao was also considered a potential enemy.
I know that Ma Chao and Zhang Lu are at odds with each other and that Ma Chao flees from Zhang Lu feeling threatened, but others don’t know such detailed internal affairs because they’ve been focused on Yi Province and neglected gathering information about Hanzhong.
Especially since Hanzhong was like a theocratic state ruled by the Five Pecks of Rice Sect with Zhang Lu as its leader, it was difficult to properly gather information. Of course, it would be different in the original history where they waged a long-term battle after joining with reinforcements, unlike now when they’ve been advancing relentlessly without a single defeat, but anyway.

A kind of information asymmetry had arisen between me and others. Since I couldn’t reveal where I got the information, I attached a plausible explanation:

“Ma Mengqi is like a wolf. He’s not the type that can be contained by a petty man like Zhang Lu who is content with Hanzhong and doesn’t aspire for greater things. By now, he must surely be in conflict with Zhang Lu and in trouble, so if our lord extends a hand, he will gladly grasp it.”

“Hmm, your words have reason. I’ll discuss it with the Military Advisor.”

Liu Bei then called Pang Tong and Fa Zheng to review what I had proposed, but it didn’t last long.
Because the reinforcements from Jingzhou finally arrived at Chengdu.

§

“I sent you to save A’dou, but I see you in Xichuan, you reckless girl.”

Those were my father’s first words upon seeing me.
Looking back, I did something unforgivable to my family. Going to Gongan to stop Lady Sun’s plan to kidnap A’dou is one thing, but leaving just a letter and rushing off to Yi Province must have been quite shocking for my family.

“You’ve made a good friend, I see.”

“Pardon?”

“That friend Ban Jun. He came in person to explain passionately why you went to Yi Province. I thought he might have feelings for you. If I hadn’t heard that he has a wife and they get along well, I’d still be suspicious.”

“Shengming…”

My conscience stings. I haven’t sent a single letter since entering Shu.
To make excuses, I was busy. I was preoccupied with saving Pang Tong, and actually, except for the battle of Luo Castle, there were few days of rest. And during the only prolonged battle at Luo Castle, I had no leisure with the thought of saving Pang Tong.

“Anyway, I hear you’ve achieved great merit?”

“Ah, yes. I did work hard.”

“No need to be modest. The story of the Little Flying Swallow who protected Military Advisor Pang from Liu Xun’s attack, displayed outstanding martial prowess, and captured Luo Castle is widespread in Yi Province.”

“Ahem, well, Father, about that nickname Little Flying Swallow…”

“I hear you even defeated Wei Yan recently?”

“It was just a sparring match, but…”

“From what I heard from Big Brother, you were holding back. It wouldn’t have been much different in a real fight. Big Brother may not be good at fighting himself, but he has an accurate eye for skill.”

In a real battle, Wei Yan would probably display his full abilities, but I still didn’t think I would lose. When I answered with a silence that conveyed affirmation, Zhang Fei laughed softly and patted my head.

“You’ve been through a lot. Ah, I haven’t seen you for a few years, and you’ve already grown this much.”

“I’ll grow even more.”

“That’s right. As the daughter of this Zhang Yide, you should be at least eight chi tall.”

One chi in the Han dynasty is about 23cm, so my current height was a little over 7 chi. Actually, even this much is much taller than the average adult male, so I’m extremely tall among women.
But compared to my father, who’s slightly under 190cm, I’m still short.

“Big Brother talked about you a lot.”

My father spoke uncharacteristically emotionally.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him so happy. He was even happier than when we won at Chibi. As far as I remember, the last time Big Brother was this joyful was when he obtained Kongming.”

To that extent? This is Liu Bei, who said he had found a jewel after successfully recruiting Zhuge Liang after three visits. I don’t think I should be compared to Kongming.
Is it because of my father’s buff? Though we’re not blood-related, he calls me his niece even in public. Plus, I was once chosen to be his daughter-in-law, so he might feel like I’m really family.

“Thank you. For giving Big Brother a smile.”

“Doesn’t Uncle smile often?”

“Ran, how many years do you think your father has been with Big Brother?”

Since my father was born in 165, and Liu Bei personally gave him his courtesy name Yide, they must have known each other at least from when he was 20. Since he said they’ve been together since he was young, if we assume they’ve been together since around 180, it’s already been 34 years together.

“It’s well over 30 years, right?”

“Yes. It’ll be 35 years this year. Although we’re not blood relatives, Big Brother, me, and Brother Guan Yu are brothers. We can certainly distinguish whether Big Brother is smiling sincerely or just for show to others.”

The bond of the sworn brothers was real. The later claims that Liu Bei deliberately abandoned Guan Yu when he was in a crisis, that there was discord, must have been nonsense.
Of course, something might have happened in the past few years, but listening to my father’s earnest words, it didn’t seem likely. Right. Aren’t they the ones who became gods and emperors solely based on their loyalty – Guan Yu who came over to Liu Bei, a startup not even comparable to Cao Cao’s big corporation, and Liu Bei who pulled out the pillar of his business when Guan Yu died?

The conversation with my father, whom I hadn’t seen for years, was mostly like this. Father asking, me answering, father speaking. I suppose fathers are like this in any era. A personality where tenderness is melted into gruffness.

As we were exchanging overdue conversations like this, an attendant delivered Liu Bei’s summons.

“Father, shall we go now?”

“Mm. We should.”

Since we were already in warrior state, wearing armor and carrying swords, we set out immediately without needing any special preparation.
As we were about to leave the tent, my father called my name.

“Ran.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve become… very pretty.”

My father’s awkwardly offered compliment.
When I heard it from others, it made me feel queasy and displeased, but hearing it from my father felt quite different. It wasn’t unpleasant. A feeling of warmth spreading. Is this how family compliments are different?

Well, anyway, it wasn’t bad. Really.

“Ah, yes…”

“Ahem. Right. Big Brother will be waiting. Let’s hurry.”

§

When we entered the large central tent serving as Liu Bei’s quarters and meeting hall, there were scattered empty seats, making us wonder if we were late.
Liu Bei at the head seat, and Sleeping Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix standing to his left and right behind him. The seat to Liu Bei’s right, second only to him, was naturally my father’s place, and opposite him, surprisingly, was Fa Zheng.
It seemed they were divided into civil and military officials, with generals standing following my father, and advisors positioned next to Fa Zheng.

“Everyone’s gathered. This time, I’ve called the generals to discuss the proposal made by Acting Army Advisor Zhang Ran, along with the report from the reinforcements.”

Hmm, having attention focused on me isn’t too bad. Actually, I’m the center of attention wherever I go, but that’s because of my appearance, so it’s different from now.
As Zhuge Liang’s report began, the attention on me scattered, but some still glanced furtively, secretly stealing looks at my face. Yes, this is what’s unpleasant.

Yi Province had practically fallen to Liu Bei already. Unlike the original history, thanks to Liu Bei’s army advancing like an unstoppable force without a single defeat, those who were cowed quickly surrendered and complied.
Such circumstances were behind Liu Bei being able to surround Chengdu half a year earlier and not taking long to meet up with follow-up forces like Zhuge Liang.

“Now then, it’s the Acting Army Advisor’s proposal. The argument was to make Ma Chao submit to us. Is there anyone who has something to say about this?”

“I, Li Hui, have something to say.”

“Oh, Li Hui. Speak.”

Li Hui was from Jianning Commandery in southern Yi Province, who was on his way to Liu Zhang after being recommended but read the situation correctly and came over to Liu Bei instead. Why do I remember him? Because he’s the very person who persuaded Ma Chao to defect to Liu Bei.

“From what I’ve heard, Ma Chao has now left Zhang Lu and is relying on the Qiang tribe of Wudu, so I will personally go and persuade him to submit to our lord.”

“Good. I’ll trust and entrust this to you.”

“I am deeply grateful.”

Liu Bei glanced at me as if to say “Is this enough?” Probably, the information that Ma Chao was with the Qiang tribe wasn’t independently discovered by Li Hui, but Liu Bei had it investigated after hearing my proposal. I had received that information separately too.
Li Hui being designated as the right person for the job was likely because Liu Bei had already marked him. I have no complaints about this. There’s no reason to change Li Hui, who actually succeeded in making Ma Chao submit.

But we can’t stop here.

“I, Acting Army Advisor Zhang Ran, have something to say to our lord.”

“Speak.”

“Although it’s said that Ma Chao is in Wudu, I’ve heard he’s alone. If we want to welcome him, I believe we should also embrace his family and subordinates who are in Hanzhong.”

The reaction wasn’t very good. The atmosphere was that while accepting Ma Chao was one thing, was there really a need for us to go to the trouble of bringing in his surrounding people too?
People like Sleeping Dragon, Fledgling Phoenix, Fa Zheng, and Liu Bei clearly realized why I was saying this, but they still deliberately asked me:

“Is there a need for us to take such a risk?”

“There are three advantages to doing so.”

“Speak.”

“First, we can gain Ma Chao’s sincere loyalty. Ma Chao has continually experienced the tragedy of losing his relatives. If we now save his last remaining kin, Ma Chao will be moved and loyal to our lord.”

“But isn’t Ma Chao someone who abandoned even his own wife and children and fled?”

“If I may be so bold, even the founding emperor almost made such a mistake when he was in danger. When Empress Lü reprimanded him, he reflected and granted her a fief, but Ma Chao simply didn’t have such a person. How can we say he has no love for his children?”

It was an extremely irreverent rebuttal to say that if Ma Chao lacked family love in that way, then Liu Bang was also a cold-blooded person without family love, but since Liu Bei didn’t say anything, the atmosphere was to let it pass.
Come to think of it, Empress Lü, who reprimanded Liu Bang for trying to abandon his children in the carriage, was also my direct ancestor. On my mother’s side, that is.

When no further objections came, I moved on to the second point.

“Secondly, by taking care of even the families of surrendering generals, we can elevate our lord’s virtue.”

Everyone nodded at this overly orthodox statement. Virtue is the highest justification and practical benefit that Liu Bei possesses. Who would object to being able to do more of that?

“Lastly, the third is a general under Ma Chao named Pang De.”

“Pang De, isn’t he Ma Chao’s vanguard general? I’ve heard his martial prowess is easily comparable to Ma Chao’s.”

Pang De, the White Horse General. A great archer and fierce general who fought hard against Guan Yu and even managed to hit his forehead with an arrow. In terms of pure martial prowess, I think he wouldn’t lose to even the Five Tiger Generals, the pride of Shu.
Unlike Ma Chao, who didn’t show much activity after submitting to Liu Bei, perhaps due to burnout, Pang De submitted to Cao Cao and made a name for himself. We can’t let a talent like Pang De go to Cao Cao.
While Cao Cao’s desire for talent is famous, Liu Bei is no less of a talent collector. Liu Bei seemed to be deeply considering, finding the recruitment of Pang De more attractive than the previous two advantages.

“But unlike Ma Chao, aren’t his family and Pang De in Hanzhong? Zhang Lu won’t let them go.”

“We’ll go and rescue them. We’ll form a select elite team and bring them out secretly from Zhang Lu. Even if a pursuit team follows, a small group should have no difficulty in shaking them off and returning, and once we enter Wudu, the enemies won’t be able to pursue further.”

In other words, Operation Rescue Ma Chao’s Family.
Just like Zhao Yun rescued A’dou and Lady Gan from Changban, this time we’re rescuing Ma Chao’s wife and children. Why exclude Pang De? Pang De isn’t a rescue target, he’s a rescue team member. What are you talking about? To protect Pang De, we’d need someone like Guan Yu or my father.

“I’ll go personally. Please entrust this to me.”

“Ran, you personally?”

“Since I proposed this, shouldn’t I go?”

“But sending you on such a dangerous mission…”

As Liu Bei hesitated to make a decision, a firm voice resonated through the tent from the side. A voice that sounded heavy like a bass opera singer’s even though it was speaking softly.

“Let’s send her.”

It was my father.

“Yide?”

“She says she’ll go herself, so she must be confident. Even if she fails, it will be a lesson for her to know her place.”

“Aren’t you worried, Yide? I remember how my heart sank when Zilong went to rescue A’dou. Ran is your daughter.”

“Before being my child, she’s a subject of Big Brother who has stepped forward to participate in the great cause. How could I, a fellow subject, stop her when she’s setting out to elevate our lord’s virtuous work and strengthen the foundation of our force? Please let her go.”

“Yide…”

Before being an elder brother, before being an uncle, Liu Bei was a ruler. No matter how precious family is, a ruler must prioritize the aspirations of the great cause and all the forces following him over the affection for blood relatives.
That’s what a king is. To stand above others means to treat those under one’s feet equally. If one gives special treatment because they’re blood relatives or because they’re cherished, who would offer sincere loyalty?

Liu Bei closed his eyes tightly. Letting out a long sigh, Liu Bei said:

“I’ll allow it. Tell Li Hui to inform Ma Chao that we will bring his family.”

Once he makes a decision, he doesn’t back down, and if he’s decided to give trust, he doesn’t look back. That was Liu Bei.

“And Army Advisor.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Take General Zhao Yun with you. Zilong already has the experience of rescuing A’dou, so he’ll be of great help. General, will you follow the order?”

“Of course, my lord. I will assist the Army Advisor and surely complete the mission.”

“It might be illogical for a General to follow the orders of an Acting Army Advisor. I’ll appoint Acting Army Advisor Zhang Ran as a General. It’s a temporary position based on the merits accumulated so far, and I’ll officially confer an office when we discuss rewards later.”

“I won’t disappoint your expectations, my lord.”

General. Now I’m a general. I have finally achieved the minimum condition to lead an army and exercise independent operational authority.
Plus Zhao Yun too. Now it would be difficult to fail even if I wanted to.

“Discuss and choose the necessary personnel between the two generals and then report.”

“My lord, please allow me to join as well.”

“You too, Wenchang?”

“Although I may be lacking compared to the two generals, I assure you I won’t be a burden.”

“Very well. I’ll remember your dedication.”

Even Wei Yan? Isn’t this really an all-star lineup?
Zhao Yun and Wei Yan. And Pang De will join in Hanzhong. A rescue (escape) operation carried out by legendary fierce generals who have their names engraved in dedicated biographies in the Book of Wei and Book of Shu. This is a big event that could only appear in the Romance.

“Hmph, my blood is boiling.”

“Yide, restrain yourself. Like Zilong, if you move too, won’t they notice?”

By “they,” he seemed to mean not only Liu Zhang holed up in Chengdu but also that Zhang Lu would notice. He is indeed a very famous person, and his size, voice, and other characteristics are too strong.

Because we didn’t know how the situation in Hanzhong would unfold, Zhao Yun and I organized our troops in just one day and reported to Liu Bei, who gave his approval as soon as he saw it.

And the next day, when we gathered before departure, additional personnel sent by Liu Bei were waiting for us.

“Pang De, courtesy name Lingming.”

Lord Liu Bei, isn’t this really too much?
At this point, it’s beyond all-stars, it’s truly the Avengers.