Chapter 81: What Can Be Done!
Throughout history, any hero who achieved great deeds invariably had an excellent “persona.”
A good persona can quickly establish a personal image, gain recognition and affection from others, and showcase unique style and charm. The benefits are endless. The most typical example is Liu Bei, Liu Xuan De.
Lord Xuan De was benevolent and tolerant, good at listening to others’ opinions, and highly respected talented individuals. Although his personal combat strength was not great, nor was his strategy outstanding, his abilities were quite ordinary among the heroes of the era. However, he excelled in “sincerity.” As a lord, he was very successful. By simply holding someone’s hand, shedding tears with red eyes, and sighing, “What can be done?”, he could naturally inspire strong “protective instincts” in his subordinates. Thus, strategists devised plans, fierce generals fought to the death, and enemies were instantly vanquished.
At the very least, someone would charge in and out seven times to save his wife and children; at the very least, someone would fight to the death to cover his retreat.
Looking at it this way, Yuan Ye felt he should follow Liu Bei’s path.
Firstly, his nature is also benevolent, with a high morality index. He does not harm the people and is willing to consider problems from others’ perspectives. As long as it does not involve fundamental principles, he generally does not dwell on minor offenses from others. This aligns well with Liu Bei, making it difficult to break character.
Secondly, his personal combat strength is average. At most, one can say his physique is not lacking. If he were to personally don armor and charge into battle, it wouldn’t be impossible, and if truly pushed to the brink, he wouldn’t lack the courage for a desperate fight. However, it is by no means his forte, and it is far less effective than holding someone’s hand and sighing, “What can be done?”
Thirdly, “benevolence” is an excellent shield. Generally, no one likes to kill “benevolent” people, as it would ruin their reputation. Furthermore, “relying on subordinates, willing to let them showcase their talents,” “empathizing with the common people,” and “being gentle yet having lofty ambitions” are also unique charms. Once these charms spread, perhaps people will come from afar to join him. He only needs to sit at home and wait, and he will have strategists like clouds and generals like rain.
Lastly, he has modern scientific technology as a backup, making earning money not difficult. He has the “capital” of benevolence. While other families struggle to even eat rice, he wouldn’t bat an eye if someone spent a few kan of money on rice per year; it’s completely inconsequential to him.
Therefore, Yuan Ye believed that to survive in these turbulent times, it was essential to plan ahead and build a good “persona.” Liu Bei suited him well in all aspects, so he naturally had to learn from the wise and imitate them – from today onwards, he is Yuan Bei Yuan Xuan De!
He is a man of action. Since he intended to imitate the ancient sage, he naturally moved to align himself with him. Holding the hand of the excited Maeshima Shichiro, he said sincerely, “Lord Shichiro, my abilities are mediocre, and my strength is insufficient. The sustenance and lives of our entire family from now on will depend entirely on you!”
Maeshima Shichiro was already very excited. Although Yuan Ye had not yet taken him as a vassal, he had significantly improved his personal treatment and his admiration was palpable. Now, seeing Yuan Ye earnestly entrusting him with his hand, he felt deeply valued, as if his years of wandering samurai life were about to end. His voice choked up: “Lord Yuan Ye, please rest assured, I will do my utmost and not fail your trust!”
Yuan Ye nodded slowly and squeezed his hand again, expressing his regard and trust. Internally, he savored the feeling: Is this what it feels like to be a superior? I didn’t say anything too excessive, and he’s already this excited?
It seems to be effective. Is this kid too young, or do ancient people really fall for this?
I should try it on someone else later!
As he pondered this, he gathered the backbone of his household and solemnly introduced Maeshima Shichiro to everyone. He then hosted a banquet to welcome him officially, feasting and drinking. From now on, he would be the director of the production department at the soy sauce workshop, responsible for all miscellaneous tasks, except for managing money and personnel.
A Man, A Qing, and the others also warmly welcomed Maeshima Shichiro’s joining the “Yuan Ye Family.” After all, Maeshima Shichiro had been mingling with them for some time, and they were quite familiar with him and knew what kind of person he was. No one had any objections to such a diligent worker.
The next day, Maeshima Shichiro, who felt “valued” for the first time in his life, threw himself into his new job with great enthusiasm, diligently managing the soy sauce workshop and directly freeing up A Man. A Man, under Yuan Ye’s orders, immediately packed her provisions and set off to search for the monkey, being gone for ten days.
Ten days later, she returned, dusty and travel-worn, her face smudged. As soon as she saw Yuan Ye, she began to complain, “I didn’t find him! You’re just being crazy. I’ve been to every village in Kaito District and Aichi District, and there’s no such person you mentioned!”
“There isn’t?” Yuan Ye was also a little shaken. Could the historical records be wrong, and the monkey wasn’t of commoner origin?
“There really isn’t! I asked carefully in every village, and there’s no one like you described, around fifteen or sixteen, who looks like a monkey and has some knowledge!” A Man was about to swear an oath. This thankless task, if not for the horse she rode, she would have been exhausted after this trip.
Yuan Ye still trusted her professionalism. If she said there was no such person, it was probably true. Then it could only be that the historical records were mistaken, and the monkey was not from a purely grassroots farmer background.
If that were the case, it could explain why he had some martial arts skills and could read and do arithmetic.
But what was his origin?
Yuan Ye paced around his desk again, recalling carefully. He remembered that the monkey seemed to have served Oda Nobunaga as a follower. Legend had it that he warmed straw sandals against his chest and gave them to Oda Nobunaga to wear, for which Oda Nobunaga praised his loyalty and recognized him, elevating him to the rank of samurai.
This story sounded plausible at first glance, with a touch of inspirational chicken soup. But Yuan Ye had been in the Japanese Warring States period for more than a day or two. Looking back now, he knew it was impossible. How many followers achieved consecutive battlefield merits and wanted to gain the status of a low-ranking samurai, yet it was impossible. They needed to accumulate letters of loyalty and seniority, slowly accumulating achievements until no one could question them, to have a tiny chance of changing their status. Those who succeeded were one in a thousand. Yet, the monkey managed it just by carrying straw sandals? The Oda Danjō no Chū family would have been in chaos long ago.
Even if Oda Nobunaga was exceptionally unconventional and eccentric, he likely wouldn’t have committed such a foolish act. This would be an insult to all the samurai around him, and his followers would have become disloyal.
However, it was highly probable that the monkey served Oda Nobunaga as a follower and achieved an undeniable feat at Okehazama, thus becoming a samurai. So, could it be that he is already a follower in the Oda Danjō no Chū family, but his accumulated merits are too few, and his status is still too low, so he hasn’t gotten close to Oda Nobunaga, which is why Maeda Toshiie doesn’t recognize him?
Or, perhaps he is the son of a follower, who later took over his father’s position and inherited his accumulated merits, allowing him to be by Oda Nobunaga’s side from the beginning, working within Oda Nobunaga’s residence?
Thinking this, Yuan Ye immediately said to A Man, “Perhaps he is already a follower of the Oda Danjō no Chū family. Go and inquire among the followers of the Oda Danjō no Chū family again, especially around Nagoya Castle. Don’t overlook anyone, whether they are horse keepers, cleaners, or chamber pot emptiers. Especially inquire carefully among the families of those followers to see if such a person exists.”
“Alright!” A Man had no idea what Yuan Ye was going on about, insisting on finding someone who looked like a monkey. But since she was eating Yuan Ye’s food, she couldn’t refuse. She could only indulge his madness, picked up his tea pot, and drank his tea dry with gulps. Wiping her mouth, she left again.
Three days later, she ran back again, even more resentful than last time, shouting at Yuan Ye, “There’s no such person! Are you bored and playing with me?”
Just as Yuan Ye was about to retort that he wasn’t that bored, he suddenly remembered his new persona. He quickly calmed himself and didn’t argue. Instead, he sighed deeply, his face filled with worry.
A Man was stunned for a moment and hesitated. Her resentment lessened, and after a pause, she cautiously asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yuan Ye sighed again, “This person is very important to me, and now I can’t find him no matter what. What can be done!”
A Man became curious again, “Why is this person so important?”
Yuan Ye was also taken aback. The lord is so worried, shouldn’t you be actively offering suggestions? Shouldn’t you be loudly vowing to find the person even if it costs your life? Why are you digging for details? However, he couldn’t explain to A Man why the monkey was important – the monkey was a menace. Since he had unexpectedly transmigrated to the Japanese Warring States period, he wanted to find him quickly and, while he was still weak, team up with A Man and A Qing to ambush him, beat him into an idiot, or even kill him.
This matter could not be delayed. Who knew what changes would occur in the future? Perhaps he could suddenly return to the modern era. If he did nothing, it would be a huge loss!
But he couldn’t tell A Man any of this. He could only sigh deeply again, “In short, he is very important. No matter the cost, this person must be found soon!”
This was the first time A Man had seen Yuan Ye sigh twice in a row. Although Yuan Ye often acted erratically before, he rarely sighed. He always tried to find solutions to problems and faced difficulties positively, showing considerable resilience. But now, he looked so worried and sighed incessantly, indicating that the matter must be very serious.
She immediately took it seriously. After all, Yuan Ye treated her very well. He was never stingy with food and drink, never minded her impolite behavior, and always gave her the best things first. If he was so worried now, there was nothing more to say. She, A Man, was not unreasonable. She had to get this done for him!
At this moment, all her resentment vanished. She put all her effort into thinking seriously. However, imitating Yuan Ye, she stroked her smooth chin and pondered for a while. She felt she had done her best. In the villages of Kaito and Aichi districts, among the followers and retainers of the Oda Danjō no Chū family and their families, there was no such person. Where else should she start to find him?
