Passion
What makes a man?
In older days brutes like Lu Bu would say that a man is someone who can crush his enemies, see them routed and fleeing before him, and always hears the lamentations of their women.
Zhou Yu and Yuan Shao would probably say that a man must demonstrate the best his clan can offer. He must flamboyantly display his clan's pride at every opportunity, for if he falters he is a failure and is no man.
But when I look at my latest protege, I know what a man ought to be!
Ma Su was a man of conviction. Like his elder brother Ma Liang he was devoted to a cause: the only cause that matters! Han is eternal, it cared for our people for hundreds of years and Ma Su knew that well. It is a shame that his inexperience destroyed our armies at Jieting, but he was an honorable man. He did not flee from his duty. He did not resist his rightful execution...
Forgive me, it is difficult for me to keep my composure when I think of that man.
Yet Jiang Wei makes it hard to forget Ma Su.
He holds that same conviction, that same devotion to the cause of Han that my previous student shared. The late First Emperor may have commented that Ma Su would lead to our doom, but something tells me that for all his virtue he may not be the best eye for talent. After all, he thought well of Wei Yan, yet what use could there be from a man whose pride and cavalier nature risks all our hard work?
Jiang Wei is a man of honor, a man bound by duty, a man who would never falter from our vision. We will restore the Han Dynasty, and he will be the tip of our spear!
See how he rallies the men: watch that furrowed brow as he declares that Wei will crumble and scatter before the wrath of Han! Can Wu claim to have that same resolve? I think not. For all his talent Lu Xun has failed to adequately attack our shared foe: despite all the Southland's bravado Shou Chun remains in Wei hands.
Jiang Wei and Ma Su were men that demonstrated the best of Shu's courage, the best of her convictions, the most untiring expressions of her resolve. Though Ma Su is gone, I can rest at peace knowing that Jiang Wei will inherit my military concerns.
For civil matters, Jiang Wan and Fei Yi will serve us well. For military matters, Jiang Wei will ensure our foe's demise! Even with the loss of men like Fa Zheng, we can ensure that Shu will fight on forevermore!
AN: Well, folks, The Tiger and the Crane might be waning, but I think I'll contribute a few more stories for the archive before I leave for good.
As for this oneshot, well, although my view of Jiang Wei has hardly changed, my willingness to show him some respect remains. I may be a Wuist, but I truly believe that all Three Kingdoms had their noble souls and treacherous villains. Jiang Wei's intentions certainly place him among the former.