Chapter 96

“Is it Go? I know how to play it.”

In a past life, there was a Go craze. The world was buzzing with the showdown between the top Go player and artificial intelligence.

The Go player who participated in that historic match was as famous for his bold words as for his skills. Along with his confident quotes, various rumors circulated, including one that said, ‘I could easily beat a thousand-year-old Go master from a manga. Back then, they didn’t even have time limits.’

People believed it because the player was among the best in the world, but also because they thought Go had advanced significantly since the past.

In the future, they use a 19×19 Go board, but now it’s 17×17, so there are fewer possibilities. The systematic techniques developed through countless exchanges and research are incomparable to the past. Especially after the rise of AI, the very concept of Go has changed.

I digress. Anyway, having learned a bit of future Go, I didn’t think I’d lose to Bi Yi. After a few games, Bi Yi might surpass me, but not in just one or two matches.

Sensing my confidence, Bi Yi showed more enthusiasm than ever during our meeting.

Seeing Bi Yi, who had been indifferent, now showing active curiosity, it seemed like the right time to wrap things up.

“You have many people to meet, so I’ll give you three options.”

First, to hear my evaluation of you.

Second, to receive a recommendation letter from me.

And the third.

“Join the Rear General’s Office. Tell me what you want.”

Bi Yi is a versatile talent who can excel in any position.

If the civil officials were short on manpower, I might have written a recommendation to ease Zhuge Liang’s burden, but Shu currently has a strong civil official corps.

The internal affairs of Yi Province, Hanzhong, and Xiang Province, which are under Shu’s control, are managed by Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Ban Jun, respectively.

The overall state affairs are handled by Huang Quan, Yu Pa, Yi Jeok, and Ma Liang. What could be the problem?

With the loss of Xiang Province and the Battle of Yiling not happening, Shu’s talent pool is flourishing.

So, I intended to recommend Bi Yi to the position he desired.

He probably wouldn’t be immediately placed in a key position like Zhang Wan. Zhang Wan had Zhuge Liang’s support.

But with a powerful backer, a talented young man like Bi Yi could become a core figure for the next generation, ensuring rapid promotion.

As I wondered which path he would choose, Bi Yi answered without hesitation.

“Rear General, your high regard and generosity are deeply appreciated. Offering three choices is more than I could ask for, but there’s no need to hesitate.”

“No need to hesitate?”

“Yes. I choose the third option. Please accept me into your command.”

For me, it was the best outcome, but I had to ask why.

“Why did you choose that path?”

“It’s the obvious choice. It’s the best option. Your acceptance alone is like a recommendation letter, and by serving by your side, I can fully demonstrate my abilities, which will surely lead to a positive evaluation in the future.”

There was a youthful confidence in his words, believing that his abilities would only leave a positive impression.

Bi Yi then added what seemed like his real motive.

“Moreover, I can witness the Go skills of the Rear General who even defeated Cao Biao. Isn’t this killing three birds with one stone?”

Feeling like things might get troublesome, I accepted Bi Yi into my command. If a few games of Go could secure a talent like Bi Yi, it was a good deal.

I sent Bi Yi off with the same words I had told Guo Yi.

Soon after, someone with a face full of discontent entered. Unlike Bi Yi, this face was familiar. It was Yang Yi, a man of undeniable ability but questionable character.

Yang Yi obeyed his superiors but picked fights with everyone else except Bi Yi, whom he was close to.

Naturally, his reputation was in the gutter, especially after clashing with Yu Pa, leading Liu Bei to choose Yu Pa and demote Yang Yi.

In the original history, after Liu Bei and Yu Pa died, and Shu lost its mid-to-late generation talents at Yiling, Zhuge Liang reinstated Yang Yi. But the current situation was the opposite.

With Liu Bei and Yu Pa alive and no shortage of talent, Yang Yi’s chances of redemption were slim.

Knowing this, Yang Yi sought me out as a last resort.

He started with his usual complaints.

“Hmph, is this the Rear General’s Office or a fortune-teller’s house?”

What was he complaining about when he came here himself?

Moreover, Yang Yi was currently the Governor of Hongnong. Hongnong is where Luoyang is, meaning it’s Cao Wei’s territory.

Just like O Yi, Yang Yi was essentially a figurehead with no real duties.

I had heard he was capable despite his bad temper, but seeing his lack of self-awareness, he seemed more like a desk-bound bureaucrat. It was disappointing.

“Lord Yang, did you come here to hear my evaluation or to pick a fight?”

When I spoke with a threatening tone, Yang Yi finally seemed to regain some composure and changed his tone.

“You’ve given evaluations of Zhuge Liang. I came to hear your evaluation of me.”

“To be blunt, Lord Yang, you’re here to get my evaluation and escape your powerless position as Governor of Hongnong, aren’t you?”

Though the salaries of a Governor and a General are the same at 2,000 dan, their statuses differ greatly. Especially in these chaotic times, military power is crucial.

Yang Yi, despite his rudeness, obeyed those he considered his superiors. He might not truly see me as such, but he was holding back due to our difference in status.

“That’s right. That Yu Pa somehow convinced the King of Hanzhong to push me aside, but even Zhuge Liang acknowledged my abilities. Keeping me as a useless Governor of Hongnong is a great loss for the King.”

Haha, Yang Yi really has no filter. He openly called Liu Bei a weak ruler swayed by Yu Pa, unaware of the implications of his words.

If Cao Biao is pure evil, Yang Yi is pure madness.

I no longer wanted to engage with him, so I picked up a bamboo scroll and a brush.

“I will submit a memorial recommending you. I’ll recommend you for a truly important governorship, not Hongnong. You may leave now.”

“Oh… I’ve heard of your discerning eye. Your reputation is indeed well-deserved. I trust in your reputation and will take my leave now.”

He even pressured me to keep my word by invoking my reputation.

I would keep my word anyway. I definitely will.

No matter how I thought about it, Yang Yi was a troublemaker who would only cause internal strife. He wasn’t an irreplaceable talent like Zhuge Liang, so there was no reason to keep him around.

Liu Bei chose Yu Pa over Yang Yi for a reason.

‘I’ll send him to a truly important governorship, unlike Hongnong.’

Namely, to the newly established Yongchang Commandery in the southernmost part of Nanzhong, where Zhuge Liang was reorganizing the counties after his southern campaign.

‘A little hardship might wake him up.’

I began drafting a memorial recommending Yang Yi as the Governor of Yongchang Commandery.

‘Go to Yongchang.’

§

Even after Guo Yi, Bi Yi, and Yang Yi left, the Rear General’s Office remained crowded.

Despite the rumor that I rarely gave high praise, the fact that some had received my approval gave others hope.

There were still some promising individuals. Xu Shulong, often mentioned alongside Bi Yi and Dong Yun, came and received a good evaluation. I also wrote a recommendation letter for a scholar named Guo Youzhi.

But as days passed, more people came seeking me, yet fewer talents appeared. Just as I was growing weary, the long-awaited news arrived from both the north and the south.

From the south came word that Zhuge Liang had completed his southern campaign and was returning.

From the north came the shocking news that Cao Biao had received the abdication from Emperor Xian and ascended the throne.

The rumor that Cao Biao had harmed Emperor Xian reached us around the same time Zhuge Liang arrived in Chengdu.

The first thing Zhuge Liang did upon returning was to change into mourning clothes.

He wasn’t alone. From Liu Bei, who was the first to don mourning clothes, to the common people who formed the backbone of society, everyone in Chengdu mourned Emperor Xian’s death.

Liu Bei declared that Cao Biao had assassinated Emperor Xian and posthumously honored him as Emperor Xiaomin. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

As if his seclusion had been a lie, Liu Bei immediately took control of state affairs upon his return, and his proclamation spread throughout Shu.

I urgently sought out Zhuge Liang because Liu Bei was occupied with mourning Emperor Xian and couldn’t be met.

Unlike the wailing Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, though somber, remained composed. I shared information I knew from my past life.

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

If Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang truly believed Emperor Xian was dead and were holding such a grand funeral, it could backfire.

But Zhuge Liang remained calm.

“I know.”

“Then why…?”

“Rear General, what is abdication?”

Abdication is passing the throne to someone not of the royal bloodline, right? But Zhuge Liang’s answer was different.

“Abdication is passing the throne to a virtuous person for the sake of the world.”

The reason Liu Bei held a funeral despite knowing Emperor Xian was alive.

The reason they immediately announced Emperor Xian’s death without verifying the truth.

“If Cao Biao uses Emperor Xian’s name, not his own ability, to block our country, it means Emperor Xian’s virtue is higher than Cao Biao’s. Thus, Cao Biao’s throne is no longer abdication but usurpation.”

It was meaningless.

From the moment Cao Biao received the abdication, Emperor Xian’s life or death no longer held any value in blocking the flow of the world.

“Even if Emperor Xian is alive, Cao Biao can’t use him to block our country.”

“Then…”

“Yes. It’s time to start the Northern Expedition.”