Rather Than Zhang Ran, Zhang Bao’s Eldest Daughter

“Oh, so there are two plans?”
Liu Bei, who had been listening quietly, spoke with a slightly exaggerated tone. His beaming smile seemed to show joy at his niece’s growth, but also had a hint of playfulness mixed in.
Well, I understood why Liu Bei was so interested.
In fact, Liu Bei’s declaration in this meeting was a kind of showmanship. It was to build justification and boost morale by showing his resolute will to the generals.
So he must have already drafted a plan to occupy Yi Province together with Pang Tong and Fa Zheng. Through Pang Tong’s famous three plans – upper, middle, and lower.
What I was about to say was ultimately just copying what Pang Tong had said, but I add Liu Bei’s inclinations to it.
“I’d like to hear the best plan first.”
“Under the pretext of returning to Jingzhou, draw in Liu Zhang’s generals who are nearby, then capture them and reprimand Liu Yizhou for his lack of virtue. If you then gather their troops and advance on Chengdu, the generals under Liu Yizhou will not be able to resist.”
“Indeed, a good plan. Then what is the worst plan?”
I took a breath and answered.
“The worst plan is to form a small special unit to attack Chengdu.”
“Hmm? That’s the worst plan?”
Liu Bei tilted his head, unable to hide his confusion. Yet his glance at Pang Tong showed that he realized my words conflicted with the plan Pang Tong had proposed.
In reality, what I called the worst plan was what Pang Tong had presented as the best plan. However, Liu Bei had rejected the best plan and chosen the middle plan.
Knowing why Liu Bei had chosen the middle plan over the best, I placed Pang Tong’s best plan as the worst.
Pang Tong, also finding my answer strange, asked:
“May I hear why you consider that the worst plan?”
“Because it’s like tripping over your own feet while running to arrive quickly.”
“I’d like to hear more details.”
Gone was the uncle watching his niece’s talent show; a cold ruler was now demanding my answer. I also used formal titles and responded seriously.
“Currently, my lord’s greatest strength in achieving your great cause is nothing other than your virtue. Despite always being outnumbered compared to Cao Cao, the reason the world sees you as Cao Cao’s rival is that you have walked a path opposite to Cao Cao’s until now.”
“…Indeed.”

“If you, Lord Liu, attack and capture Chengdu with a special unit, you might quickly gain Yi Province and expand your power, but it would tarnish the virtuous reputation you’ve built over decades. This would be no different from losing something big for a small gain.”
After hearing my answer, Liu Bei exhaled in what seemed like genuine admiration and said:
“Remarkable. Your insight is truly amazing. What do you think, Military Advisor? Isn’t our niece’s wisdom truly extraordinary?”
“Yes, my lord. She has a vision for long-term planning that I hadn’t considered.”
“Hahaha! Is that so, hmm. With nieces and nephews so outstanding, I’ve always envied my brothers’ military and martial talents, but now I envy the excellence of their children even more.”
“Your two young masters also possess outstanding talents, my lord. Not only is Young Master Liu Feng excellent in martial arts, but Young Master Liu Shan has also shown courage befitting one of your bloodline. Isn’t this a case of ‘a vegetable’s future can be judged by its two leaves’?”
A promising tree can be recognized from its sprout. I’m sorry to Liu Bei, but Liu Shan doesn’t become as great a figure as his father. The same goes for Liu Feng.
However, that’s not because Liu Feng or Liu Shan are very lacking as individuals.
When considered individually, they are far more outstanding than average. Even Liu Shan had enough scholarship to be acknowledged by Zhuge Liang.
It’s just that the shadow of their parents looming over them was too large and dark.
Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei. Because their parents were heroes whose legacy continued for thousands of years, their own abilities were bound to be underestimated.
If I manage things well, perhaps Zhang Fei will be an exception in this world.
Even now, we’re occasionally called “tiger father, tiger daughter,” so if I really use my future knowledge and this physical ability to achieve unification of the realm, a new idiom might be created to refer to a daughter surpassing her father.
Fa Zheng chimed in with his own lip service based on somewhat objective grounds that Liu Bei’s sons were also outstanding. It wasn’t wrong, as Liu Feng and Liu Shan hadn’t yet revealed their shortcomings.
“Yuan Yi, Xiaozhí. Though my niece is young, with such outstanding talent, wouldn’t it be good to grant her an official position?”
“Confucius asked for teachings from seven-year-old Xiang Tuo. How could age be an obstacle to granting an official position?”
Pang Tong, true to his open-minded personality, positively supported my appointment, saying there were points where I excelled even him.
If the one whose plan I had refuted to his face had been Fa Zheng, he might have harbored resentment. Of course, if that were the case, I wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.
Those who wish to be respected must first know how to respect others. Pang Tong, who practiced this, certainly had a different caliber from ordinary people.
Fa Zheng, still seemingly outranked by Pang Tong for now, only added to Pang Tong’s argument.
The moment my appointment was confirmed, I made a second request.
“Uncle, please assign me under Military Advisor Pang’s command.”
“Under Yuan Yi?”
“According to Huainanzi, the flying dragon gives birth to the phoenix, and the phoenix gives birth to the firebird. People call Military Advisor Pang the phoenix, and I use the character for firebird in my name, so isn’t this also a connection? I wish to have the opportunity to broaden my perspective under the Military Advisor.”
“You’ve acquired not only military tactics and martial arts but also broad scholarship. Since it’s come to this, Yuan Yi, how about you personally teach our Ran?”
“Me, my lord? How could I step forward when General Zhengliao is here?”
“I’ll speak to Yide about it. And Yide would gladly welcome it with open arms if it’s you, so why are you being modest?”
Pang Tong thought for a moment before readily accepting Liu Bei’s proposal.
“Very well. I also felt my own inadequacies from Miss Zhang’s words, so I’ll strive to teach each other our lacking aspects and grow together.”
“Good. Excellent! Then I’ll appoint you, Ran, as the Acting Army Advisor under him.”
The Acting Army Advisor is an assistant position to a general, a kind of staff role. It was an appointment reflecting Liu Bei’s intention for me to receive teachings by Pang Tong’s side, who held the same rank of Military Advisor General as Zhuge Liang.
The reason I deliberately repeated Pang Tong’s strategy while mixing in refutation was to draw Pang Tong’s interest.
I had hoped that if he found me interesting, he might want to keep me by his side. I had worried it might backfire, but fortunately, it turned out well in the end.
“Thank you, my lord!”
“Yes. Ah, by the way, Ran, what do you think about retreating to Baidi and slowly conquering Yi Province starting from Jingzhou?”
This was the content Pang Tong had mentioned as the worst plan.
“There’s no need to consider it. From what I saw of Yi Province on my way here, it’s a natural fortress. If we retreat to Jingzhou and give Liu Zhang time to prepare, it will take far too long to conquer Yi Province. Cao Cao won’t wait for us.”
“Hahaha, a simple question with a profound answer.”
Liu Bei laughed heartily and then mulled over my last words. Cao Cao won’t wait. This would have resonated more with Liu Bei, who had always been chased by Cao Cao.
Whether or not those words influenced Liu Bei, he took action immediately the next day.
Following Pang Tong’s strategy, he announced that Jingzhou was in danger and he needed to return, making preparations as if he was really leaving.
No, Liu Bei actually prepared to leave Fucheng. It’s just that it wasn’t for Jingzhou.
However, unaware of this, Yang Huai and Gao Pei, who had seen Liu Bei as a thorn in their side, came out to see him off, gleefully happy that he was leaving of his own accord.
Pang Tong had described the two generals as Liu Zhang’s great generals, but for that, they were extremely simple-minded fellows.
Of course, they met their end at the hands of Liu Bei, who had revealed his ambition to take Yi Province. Liu Bei’s handling of the matter was lightning-fast.
After killing Yang Huai and Gao Pei and absorbing their troops, Liu Bei deployed soldiers to Fucheng and Baishui to secure the rear, then began advancing towards Chengdu as if there was nothing left to hinder him.
But as you gain one thing, you often lose another.
Zhang Song, who failed to read the hidden intention behind Liu Bei’s false pretext of returning to Jingzhou and acted rashly out of anxiety, was executed by Liu Zhang after being reported by his elder brother Zhang Su.
Finally realizing Liu Bei’s true intentions, Liu Zhang belatedly blocked the route Liu Bei was descending and gathered his troops.
It was an unavoidable measure to prevent being caught completely off guard, but even this served as justification for Liu Bei.
Liu Bei framed Liu Zhang as the first to betray righteousness, saying that he not only provided insufficient support but now was trying to block their way back. Liu Zhang also prepared for war with Liu Bei, presenting his own arguments.
The two forces had finally crossed a river of no return. It was the beginning of the war over Yi Province.