A New Wave 2

“Go, you say? I know the rules, at least.”

There was a Go craze in my past life. The whole world was in an uproar over the match between a top Go player and artificial intelligence.

The Go player who took part in that historic match was popular not only for his skills but also for his unrestrained words and actions. Because of that, along with his confident quotes, various rumors also circulated, including words like this:

‘I can easily beat a national champion from a thousand years ago who appears in a manga. There wasn’t even a countdown system back then.’ It was an unverified statement.

People accepted those words not only because that player’s skills were world-class at the time, but also because there was an underlying perception that future Go had developed much more than past Go.

While they use 19×19 Go boards in the future, they use 17×17 boards now, so there are fewer possibilities, and the techniques systematized through numerous exchanges and research were incomparable to the past. Especially after the emergence of AI, it’s no exaggeration to say that the concept itself was completely overturned.

I’ve digressed. Anyway, I didn’t think I, who had learned a bit of future Go, would lose to Fei Yi. He would probably surpass me after playing a few times and grasping my level, but could that happen in one or two games?

Perhaps reading the confidence that came out unconsciously from me, Fei Yi began to show more fervent interest than at any time during the interview so far.

Now that Fei Yi, who had been more detached than expected, was actively showing curiosity, it seemed appropriate to wrap things up.

“Since there are many people to meet, I’ll give you three choices now.”

First is to hear a character evaluation from me.

Second is to receive a letter of recommendation written by me.

Lastly, the third.

“Entering the Rear General’s Office. Tell me which one you want.”

Fei Yi is an all-around talent who could achieve results no matter where he’s placed.

If the civil official line was struggling with manpower shortage, I would have gone with writing a letter of recommendation to help ease Zhuge Liang’s burden, but now Shu has a robust lineup of civil officials.

The internal affairs of Yizhou, Hanzhong, and Jingzhou, which are currently under Shu’s sphere of influence, are firmly held by Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Fan Jun respectively.

Overall national affairs are handled by Huang Quan, Liu Ba, Li Yi, Ma Liang and others, so what’s the problem?

Shu Han’s talent harvest was a bumper crop in itself, without the loss of Jingzhou and the Battle of Yiling.

So I was planning to recommend him to the position Fei Yi wanted as much as possible.

He probably won’t be immediately inserted into a key position like Zhang Wan. Zhang Wan also had Zhuge Liang’s support.

But if he gains me as a supporter, he will go from just a young man with decent abilities to a core promising talent who will lead the next generation, so rapid promotion is as good as guaranteed.

While I was expecting to see which path he would choose, Fei Yi answered without the slightest hesitation:

“I am grateful that the Rear General thinks highly of me and shows generosity. Though it is more than I deserve to be given three choices, there is no need to deliberate.”

“No need to deliberate?”

“Yes. I will choose the third option. Please accept this humble one under your command, General.”

It was the best result for me, but I couldn’t help but ask the reason.

“Why did you choose that path?”

“It’s an obvious choice. Because that was the best option. The Rear General bringing me into your staff is as good as a letter of recommendation in itself, and if I stay by your side, I can show you all the abilities I possess, so won’t my character evaluation improve in the future as well?”

He had the youthful spirit befitting a young man who had just come of age. It was a confident statement that with his abilities, he would give a positive impression at worst, and wouldn’t lower the evaluation.

And Fei Yi added a reason that seemed to be the real purpose no matter how you look at it.

“Moreover, on top of that, I can personally witness the Go skills of the Rear General who even defeated Cao Pi, so how is this not killing three birds with one stone?”

Feeling like things might get tiring from now on, I accepted Fei Yi into my staff. If I can gain a talent like Fei Yi by playing a few games of Go, it’s a profitable deal.

I told Fei Yi the same thing I told Guo Yi and sent him out.

The person who came in right after had an expression full of dissatisfaction at first glance. Unlike Fei Yi, it was a face that remained in my memory. It was Yang Yi. A person with definite ability but not so much character.

Yang Yi listened relatively well to his superiors, but he habitually picked fights and found fault with others, except for Fei Yi, the only one he got along with.

Of course, his reputation was rock bottom, and especially when he came into conflict with Liu Ba and quarreled over every little thing, Liu Bei chose Liu Ba and demoted Yang Yi.

In the original history, after Liu Bei and Liu Ba died, and the mid-to-late talents who would lead Shu Han were lost at Yiling, Zhuge Liang employed him again, but the current situation was the opposite.

With Liu Bei and Liu Ba alive and well, and no shortage of talent, the possibility of Yang Yi shining again was quite low.

Yang Yi, who had ability, seemed to know this and came to me as a breakthrough.

He opened his mouth with complaints as if out of habit:

“Hmph, I can’t tell if this is the Rear General’s Office or a fortune teller’s house.”

No, what’s he dissatisfied about when he came here himself?

Moreover, Yang Yi is currently the Governor of Hongnong. Where is Hongnong? It’s where Luoyang is. In other words, it was Wei territory.

He was in the same situation as Wu Yi. To be frank, Yang Yi was like an unemployed person with no work at all.

I heard he had ability despite his nasty personality. Seeing that he can’t even objectively evaluate himself, he’s really just a book-smart level. I was disappointed.

“Did Yang Gong come to hear a character evaluation from me, or to pick a fight?”

When I spoke sharply while exuding pressure, Yang Yi’s runaway senses seemed to return a bit as he changed the tone of his voice.

“I heard you left an evaluation of Military Advisor Zhuge, so I came to hear your character evaluation of me as well.”

“Let me speak plainly. In the end, isn’t Yang Gong trying to escape from the powerless position of Governor of Hongnong by receiving a character evaluation from me?”

Though the salary of 2,000 shi is the same for a governor and a general of the four directions, the difference in status was huge. It’s not an era of great peace, and in this time of chaos where military power is important, it was even more so.

The reason Yang Yi showed obvious displeasure at my informal speech but couldn’t say anything was for this reason. Though Yang Yi spoke rudely, he did listen well to those he considered his superiors.

He probably doesn’t sincerely consider me his superior, but he’s enduring it considering the difference in position and the immediate superior-subordinate relationship.

“That’s right. That Liu Ba fellow somehow seduced His Majesty the King of Hanzhong and pushed me out, but as even Military Advisor Zhuge has acknowledged my abilities, keeping me in a useless official position like Governor of Hongnong would be a great loss for His Majesty the King of Hanzhong as well.”

Hoho, does Yang Yi really have no filter in his words? He was openly saying that Liu Bei was a foolish ruler who was taken in by Liu Ba, without even realizing what kind of outrageous things he was saying.

If Cao Pi is pure evil, then Yang Yi is truly pure madness.

I didn’t even want to exchange more words, so I just opened a bamboo slip placed beside me and picked up a brush.

“I’ll submit a memorial to His Majesty recommending you. I’ll recommend you so that you can go to a truly important place as governor, not Hongnong, so please withdraw now.”

“Ooh… They say the luan bird of the Zhang family has never been wrong in judging people, and that reputation was true. I’ll withdraw now, believing in the General’s reputation.”

Look at him pressuring me to keep my word by mentioning my reputation.

Even without that, I’ll keep what I said. I’ll definitely keep it.

No matter how I thought about it, Yang Yi was a bad factor that would only cause internal division. Yang Yi wasn’t an irreplaceable talent like Zhuge Liang, and there was no reason to keep him around.

It wasn’t for nothing that Liu Bei chose Liu Ba over Yang Yi and got rid of Yang Yi.

‘I should send him to a very important place as governor, unlike Hongnong, with real power.’

Namely, to the Nanzhong land where Zhuge Liang will reorganize the commanderies after finishing his southern expedition this time.

‘He’ll probably come to his senses if he struggles a bit.’

I began writing a memorial requesting to appoint Yang Yi as the governor of Yongchang Commandery, which Zhuge Liang said he would newly establish in the southernmost part of Nanzhong.

‘Go to Yongchang.’

§

Even the day after people like Guo Yi, Fei Yi, and Yang Yi visited, people flocked to the Rear General’s Office.

Though rumors spread that I don’t give good evaluations so easily, the fact that there were people who received my selection must have given them hope.

It wasn’t all a waste afterwards either. Xu Shulong, who was mentioned along with Fei Yi and Dong Yun, came and received a good character evaluation, and I personally wrote a letter of recommendation for a scholar named Guo Yuzhi.

However, as days went by, I was getting tired of the situation where more and more people came to see me but no talents appeared, when news I had been waiting for came from both north and south.

The news from the south was a notification that Zhuge Liang had finished all his southern expedition and would return.

And the news from the north contained a shocking event that would astonish the whole world – that Cao Pi had finally received the throne from Emperor Xian and ascended to the imperial throne.

The rumor that Cao Pi had ascended to the throne and harmed Emperor Xian was heard around the same time Zhuge Liang arrived in Chengdu.

The first thing Zhuge Liang did as soon as he returned to Chengdu was none other than changing into mourning clothes.

It wasn’t just Zhuge Liang. From Liu Bei who changed into mourning clothes before anyone else, to the common people at the very bottom who form the basis of the world. Everyone in Chengdu was mourning the death of Emperor Xian in mourning attire.

Liu Bei proclaimed that Cao Pi had assassinated Emperor Xian and even bestowed the posthumous title of Emperor Xiaoming on Emperor Xian. It happened in the blink of an eye.

Liu Bei’s declaration, which immediately took control of state affairs upon his return as if his seclusion until now had been a lie, quickly spread throughout Shu Han.

I hurriedly sought out Zhuge Liang. It was because I couldn’t meet Liu Bei, who was holding the funeral rites (fasang) to commemorate Emperor Xian’s death.

Seeing Zhuge Liang’s face, which was wearing a gloomy expression but hadn’t lost his composure unlike Liu Bei who was wailing, I spoke the information I knew through my past life:

“Cao Pi probably didn’t assassinate Emperor Xian.”

If Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang and others were really holding such a grand mourning believing Emperor Xian had died, this could become a double-edged sword.

However, even at my words, Zhuge Liang was calm.

“I know.”

“Then why such…”

“Rear General, what is abdication?”

What is abdication, he asks? Well, isn’t it passing on the throne to someone not of the bloodline? But Zhuge Liang’s answer was quite different.

“Abdication is handing over one’s position to a virtuous person for the sake of the world.”

The reason Liu Bei held a funeral even though he knew Emperor Xian was alive.

The reason he immediately proclaimed Emperor Xian’s death without even properly knowing the truth.

“If Cao Pi blocks our country using Emperor Xian’s name rather than his own ability. That means Emperor Xian’s virtue is higher than Cao Pi’s, so Cao Pi’s throne is no longer abdication but usurpation.”

It was because it was meaningless.

From the moment he abdicated the throne to Cao Pi, Emperor Xian’s life or death no longer had any value in stopping the flow of the world.

“Even if Emperor Xian is alive, Cao Pi cannot stop our country with that.”

“Then…”

“Yes. The time has come to start the Northern Expedition.”