My name is Ma Su.
Since childhood, I had devoured military texts the way other boys devoured sweets. I memorized formations before I memorized poetry. I argued strategy before I learned restraint. My dream was simple, grand, and entirely reasonable:
To become a God of War like Han Xin, Marquis of Huaiyin.
By all measures, I was doing well. I had already attained the rank of Army Advisor. With a little brilliance, a little opportunity, the path ahead was obvious: command cavalry, advance to Colonel, lead the Central Gentlemen at Arms, and—eventually—rise to Grand General.
Just imagining it made my blood surge.
I never imagined—
Never—
That I would end up as a common foot soldier, dumped into a frontier garrison, under Zhang Fei.
I am a dead man.
Zhang Fei had politely declined his second brother Guan Yu's invitation to stay the night in Jiangling. Instead, he grabbed Ma Su and rode straight back to Linju, whipping the horses without mercy.
By the time the sun sagged toward the western hills, they thundered through the city gates.
"General! All is quiet in Linju!" Fan Qiang rushed forward to grab Zhang Fei's reins.
Zhang Fei vaulted off his horse, stretched his shoulders, then turned just in time to watch Fan Qiang struggle.
One man wasn't enough.
Two more soldiers had to be called over before they managed to pry Ma Su off the saddle.
Zhang Fei burst out laughing.
"Can't even stay on a horse," he bellowed, "and you wanted to lead an army?"
Ma Su didn't even have the strength to retort.
His inner thighs felt like they'd been flayed with sandpaper. His backside felt… theoretical. He could ride, of course—but only at a dignified pace. Covering over a hundred li in one day at a full gallop?
That was a first.
"This kid's Ma Su," Zhang Fei said, jerking his thumb. "Fan Qiang, take him to the barracks. Isn't there an empty cot in the Mi family boy's room? Toss him there and let him 'rest.'"
Fan Qiang grunted, slung Ma Su over his shoulder like a sack of grain, and marched off.
Ma Su was dumped onto a coarse bed.
The smell hit him immediately.
Horse manure. Old sweat. Wet straw. And several odors that defied classification.
Strangely, the stench helped clear his head.
Someone flipped him over.
A voice—vaguely familiar—hesitated.
"…Ma Su?"
He squinted, forcing his eyes open. The face above him still carried traces of nobility, though worn thin.
"And… who might you be?" Ma Su croaked.
The face darkened instantly.
"Mi Fang."
Ma Su managed a weak but sincere bow from the waist up. "Ah. Last time I saw you, you were wearing so much white powder I didn't recognize you."
A flash of humiliation crossed Mi Fang's face. His jaw tightened, then he forced a sneer.
"Who would have thought," he said coldly, "that Great Advisor Ma Su would be thrown into this pit?"
Ma Su gave a dry laugh. "I served in Gongan for a year. I was sent here for 'disobeying orders' during the Lord's campaign into Yi Province. And you? Riding your brother's coattails finally didn't save you?"
Mi Fang's face turned scarlet.
Before he could explode, a third voice spoke from the shadows.
"The conquest of Yi Province… has already begun?"
Ma Su stiffened. He hadn't noticed anyone else in the room.
"The Lord's army has arrived," Ma Su replied. "Six cities have already opened their gates. Not a drop of blood spilled."
Silence.
Then the voice again—cool, measured.
"A victory so great, yet you were exiled here? Are you… a deserter?"
That struck deep.
Ma Su's voice sharpened. "How dare a mere soldier judge his superior?"
The figure stood and stepped into the light.
A young man with a calm expression and restrained pride.
"My father is Liu Bei," he said. "I am Liu Feng."
Mi Fang collapsed into laughter. He laughed so hard tears streamed down his face. Two months of humiliation in this camp—finally repaid in full.
That night, Ma Su slept on a bed harder than stone, surrounded by unfamiliar smells and two men who clearly enjoyed his misery.
Before dawn, Mi Fang shook him awake.
"Ma Su! Up! Morning drills!"
The sky was barely grey. Ma Su couldn't remember the last time he'd been awake at such an hour.
But Liu Feng was already standing there in full armor, watching him.
Ma Su swallowed his pride and crawled out of bed.
The morning passed in field labor and wall patrols. In the afternoon, the three of them were ordered into a room to teach common soldiers how to read.
Zhang Fei's command.
He didn't demand poetry—but his men had to recognize characters. Specifically, the ones in the Field Medical Manual Ma Su carried.
Teaching medicine to men who couldn't read a single word felt absurd.
But Liu Feng and Mi Fang treated it like a life-or-death mission.
So Ma Su taught.
By evening, he was sent into the city to assist civilians. Under a sergeant's watchful glare, he filled water jars for two households before being allowed to eat.
This military life bore no resemblance to the elegant maps and scrolls of his imagination.
Meanwhile, Liu Bei spent a night in Gongan before traveling to Jiangling.
The "Twin Cities" were taking shape—but what caught his attention was a group of sailors newly arrived from Dantu.
Their faces carried ferocity without chaos. Even standing still, they looked ready to advance.
At their center stood Gan Gui, son of Gan Ning.
Liu Bei immediately understood.
"These are Gan Xingba's elites," he praised. "A fine group of men."
The tension eased. One leader stepped forward. "My Lord, where do you want us? Zigui? Wu County?"
"Both have already surrendered," Liu Bei replied.
The sailors exchanged glances—relief flickering across their faces.
"Then let Gan Gui lead us!" one shouted. "We eight hundred will be your vanguard to take Quren!"
Liu Bei smiled strangely.
"In the second month, I slew Li Yi at Zigui. From Zigui to Jiangzhou, all have surrendered. No soldiers died. No civilians harmed."
He gestured lightly. "Gentlemen… you may go home."
They froze.
"Home?" someone blurted. "But my home is in Yufu—"
"It is peaceful there as well," Liu Bei said. "If you wish, remain here for one year as naval instructors. Then return home freely."
The crowd erupted.
"I want to go home! My mother—"
"My wife was pregnant when I left!"
"But the General went east…"
At the mention of Gan Ning, silence fell.
"My Lord!" someone shouted. "Let us go kidnap General Gan back!"
Another chimed in eagerly. "Just lend us a boat! We'll knock him out and drag him back!"
A third yelled even louder: "If we bring General Gan back—does that count as merit?"
Liu Bei felt a headache forming.
Zhang Fei's face flashed through his mind.
Is this a sailor thing?
Gan Gui squeezed forward, looking utterly wronged.
Liu Bei sighed. "Next time the navy is needed," he promised, "you will be the vanguard."
Gan Gui beamed.
The sailors knelt as one.
"We will follow you to the death!"
By mid-May, in Jiangzhou, Pang Tong received Liu Zhang's reply.
He scanned it once and tossed it to Zhao Yun.
"A coward," Pang Tong scoffed.
Zhao Yun read carefully. Liu Zhang praised Liu Bei for killing Li Yi—then subtly suggested Pang Xi might also be a problem.
Now that you've helped once… why not again?
Zhao Yun sighed. Pang Tong had been right all along.
"Governor of Yi," in name only. In truth—just the Mayor of Chengdu.
Pang Tong smiled faintly. "We won't intervene yet."
He tapped the letter.
"Send this… to Pang Xi."