Rather Than Zhang Ran, Zhang Bao’s Eldest Daughter

In Yi Province in 212 AD, tensions were running high between Liu Zhang and Liu Bei, the two Lius. It had already been a year since Liu Bei entered Yi Province and established himself in Fucheng.
Liu Bei, who had been brought in to suppress Zhang Lu and even given additional troops, kept delaying the attack while currying favor with the local people to bring them under his influence. This caused Liu Zhang to become suspicious of Liu Bei.
Although conflict between the two had not yet surfaced openly, their uncomfortable coexistence could shatter in an instant given the right catalyst.
Fortunately, when I arrived in Yi Province, the cooperative relationship was still maintained, albeit loosely. Moreover, the officials of Yi Province considered the representative of this dispatch to be a low-ranking counselor. There was no particular reason to stop us.
The journey was treacherous, but we managed to reach Fucheng without any significant problems.
And at Fucheng, there was a sharp military atmosphere as if they were about to invade somewhere at any moment. It seemed insufficient to explain it simply as elite troops being gathered.
Of course, they were in confrontation with Zhang Lu, but wasn’t that just for show?
“Miss, the atmosphere seems very tense?”
“Yes. It’s as if they’re about to go into battle.”
Is it around the time when the war with Liu Zhang is about to begin?
I didn’t know exactly when Liu Bei’s conquest of Yi Province would start, but it was something that had to happen. Even if it started right away, it wouldn’t be too surprising.
“Let’s hurry.”
We moved to the camp following our guide. We took a short rest while the soldiers informed Liu Bei about the arrival of the dispatch.
It wasn’t urgent news where every minute and second mattered, so I thought we might rest for a day to tidy up before meeting. But almost as soon as we unpacked, we were summoned.
“It seems the situation is urgent.”
“For that, you seem quite calm, Miss.”
“Because it’s something I expected. Anyway, rest with the others while I’m gone.”
All the soldiers who had fought with me were accompanying this dispatch.
They were precious subordinates who had said they would follow me to the end before I even mentioned additional rewards. Who else would take care of them if not me?
I had to quickly dust off my clothes and just wash my face lightly before moving. Normally, this would leave one looking quite disheveled, but my body made even this look like vintage fashion.
‘Is this some kind of mountain spirit buff or what?’
My hair, which had grown quite long, hadn’t been properly managed during the journey to Yi Province, yet it was smooth without a single split end. I do wash my hair well, but in an era without shampoo, how is this possible? My skin might be understandable since I’m still young, but this body was in an unnaturally good condition.
Though smaller than the official residence in Gong’an, Fucheng also had a building that could be called an official residence.
While waiting for the order to enter in front of the meeting hall, faint voices could be heard from beyond the door.
An attendant announced my arrival.
“Let her enter.”
The people in the meeting hall all stopped talking at once. As only the sound of my footsteps entering broke the silence, I bowed my head towards Liu Bei in the center of the hall.
“This humble servant Zhang Ran greets the lord.”
“Ran? You’ve really grown a lot. You’ve grown up so well.”
I certainly had grown a lot. At 150cm, I was hardly different from an adult male by this era’s standards.
Liu Bei stood up abruptly from his seat and approached me. He raised me up and looked over my body with a worried expression, checking if I was injured anywhere.
“Don’t worry, I’m not injured.”
“Ha ha, so it seems. But why did you come in person? It would have been fine to send someone else.”
“I requested it from the Military Advisor.”
“Kongming?”
I carefully explained what had happened in Jingzhou.

How Lady Sun had tried to take Liu Shan back, taking advantage of the gap created by the entry into Shu.
And how I had predicted this in advance and blocked her path, and Zhao Yun who had pursued her, safely rescued Liu Shan.
Finally, how I had volunteered to report directly as follow-up.
Liu Bei, who had been quietly listening to my story, was surprisingly calm despite hearing that his son had nearly been kidnapped. It was a coldness that made me wonder if this was the same person who had just been worried about me.
“I see, so that’s what happened. Sun Quan… Hmm, Military Advisor.”
“Yes, my lord.”
As Liu Bei muttered to himself and returned to his seat, he called someone, and the man immediately to his right stepped forward.
The man of medium height with a somewhat stocky build was the very reason I had come all this way to the distant and treacherous Shu.
Pang Tong. The ill-fated genius more famous for his nickname “Fledgling Phoenix” than his courtesy name Yuan Yi.
This was the first time I was seeing him with my own eyes. According to the Romance, he was said to be ugly, but I didn’t think he was as unattractive as I had expected.
Of course, if you put him next to the extremely handsome Zhuge Liang, he might look ugly, but that’s like how anyone would look like a squid next to a world-class beauty.
Pang Tong had a somewhat dull-looking impression, but his eyes were sharp. Though his appearance might be slightly below average, he had an aura that was definitely not ordinary.
He was a very interesting man who somehow seemed like both a civil official and a military officer.
Liu Bei spoke to this Pang Tong:
“Sun Quan asks for our help while trying to disrupt our internal affairs. What should we do?”
Sun Quan asked for help? This was news to me. I had been paying attention to information around me, or did something happen while I was traveling from Jingzhou to Yi Province?
Even so, I should have arrived first given the distance. Unless they came by water route using the Yangtze River, then it might be possible.
In any case, it’s true that I had been too focused on entering Shu and hadn’t paid attention to external affairs. I should reflect on this, reflect.
“Sun Quan must have realized that things have gone wrong, so there’s no need to provide support. Our army should take advantage of the conflict between Sun Quan and Cao Cao to take Yi Province.”
“What does Xiaozhí think?”
Xiaozhí was Fa Zheng’s courtesy name. Fa Zheng was about the same height as Liu Bei with a rather stubborn-looking impression, and while his nasty personality that seemed to prove his physiognomy was one thing, his ability was truly unparalleled.
While Sleeping Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix are considered the top brains of Liu Bei’s forces, in terms of warfare, I think Fa Zheng might actually be the best on Liu Bei’s side.
It’s said that it’s difficult to evaluate Pang Tong because he died too early, but judging from the records left in historical texts, that’s how it seems.
As a strategist on par with Pang Tong, Fa Zheng offered the same opinion as Pang Tong.
“I agree with the Military Advisor General’s opinion. Liu Zhang is indecisive, so he will hesitate and fail to make an immediate decision. If we have Zhang Song respond from within, and advance on Chengdu like lightning, Yi Province will naturally become our lord’s.”
Despite having once been Liu Zhang’s subordinate, Fa Zheng had no hesitation in calling Liu Bei his lord.
As the current left and right brains of Liu Bei offered matching advice, Liu Bei nodded heavily.
“I requested support to block Cao Cao in Jingzhou, but Liu Zhang didn’t even send half of what was asked. Liu Zhang betrayed righteousness first, so how can I just stand by?”
Liu Bei spoke coldly.
“Before Liu Zhang attacks us, we will take the initiative and attack first.”
It was a declaration of the Yi Province occupation campaign.
The meeting concluded with that. Liu Bei ordered the generals to keep the soldiers in check, and then had Pang Tong, Fa Zheng, and me stay behind.
As the meeting hall emptied, Liu Bei finally brought up my rewards.
“Come to think of it, Kongming said he considered your achievement as a military merit and asked me what kind of reward I should give you.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“My lord? You don’t need to be so formal anymore. Feel free to call me uncle. Now, about your merit, what kind of reward should I give? Is there anything you want?”
This is an opportunity. Now that Liu Bei has declared the occupation of Yi Province, this is the perfect timing.
“I want to enter the army.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s fine if I don’t receive an official position. Please allow me to become a soldier and serve you, my lord.”
Liu Bei’s expression became troubled. It was different from when he had readily agreed when I was younger. Of course, there’s a big difference between then and now. In the past, my guardian Zhang Fei was present, but he’s not here now.
And while it might have been understandable in the era when he hadn’t even taken Southern Jingzhou, now Liu Bei is at the moment of taking a running start to rise as a warlord encompassing two provinces. He would want to avoid anything that could cause gossip at such a crucial time.
However, it’s also not a good look to refuse after acknowledging the merit and directly asking what I wanted, so Liu Bei hesitated to answer. Representing the lord’s feelings, Pang Tong asked:
“How old are you this year, Miss Zhang?”
“Twelve.”
“That’s too young to join the army.”
“At the age of nine, I accompanied my father in the battle of Nanzhong. I killed the horse of Wu Jin, Cao Ren’s lieutenant, and made him fall. Now, I can fully play my part as one person.”
“That is the bravery of a common man.”
Pilbujiyong. It was an idiom from Mencius. Often used to describe Xiang Yu, it wasn’t just for him but was a derogatory term for a charge commander who was good at fighting but had no strategic plans.
Anyway, Pang Tong, who had dismissed my self-promotion as mere brute courage, asked like an interviewer:
“You must have seen quite a bit of Yi Province on your way to Fucheng. How would you, Miss, plan to take Yi Province?”
“There is a best plan and a worst plan.”