Chapter 222 Turbulent Nine Dragons

Chapter 222: Turbulent Nine Dragons

Right next to the Jeonwanggak is an underground storage room I built myself.

It’s a very deep underground storage room, dug out with the intention of making ice to enjoy iced green tea or iced white tea.

And now, the embalmed corpse of the lord lay there.

We had planned to preserve it until someone from the Green Dragon Hall arrived, but since you saved my life, I felt I should come and thank you.

“They say even rolling in a dung heap is better than the afterlife, so why did you make that choice… It’s utterly tragic.”

“Perhaps an old man has no regrets left for life.”

“……”

Shaking his head.

Just like his father, North Palace Master, the former king seemed indifferent to others’ deaths.

It seemed like the concept of respecting life was completely absent from his mind, probably because he’d been killing so many people all along.

‘Well, I suppose I have no choice. As a humanitarian, I’ll just have to take control…’

Meanwhile, Yoo So-pyeong and Dang Ga-sam-gwe, who had come to pay their respects together, bowed deeply, tears streaming down their faces.

As the son of the mourner and former Green Dragon Party members who had known the Lord for so long, the shock must have been immense.

“Lord Sungju…”

“Sniff, Lord!”

“Ugh! How can you leave us like this?”

“I’m… so… sorry…”

“……”

Feeling awkward standing there blankly beside the weeping crowd, I dragged the former king out of the basement, now a sea of tears.

A short while later.

At Yoo So-pyeong’s request, we had tea in my room.

“There are reports that the atmosphere at Guryongseong is unusual.”

“Suddenly?”

“When a king dies, his subjects inevitably begin fighting for power.”

“Hmm…”

In a way, it was only natural.

Guryongseong is a megacorp where eight major shareholders gather. Anyone from any faction could challenge for the position of lord, thinking, “What if it’s me?”

But the lord was no ordinary man, and the succession had already been firmly established.

“The Green Dragon Sect Leader has reached the realm? Is that really possible?”

And to think he kept it hidden even after ascending to the realm of enlightenment.

The Green Dragon Sect Leader is no ordinary man either.

If it were me, I’d have been bragging about it all over town.

And beaten up those he disliked.

“Father mentioned that the public sentiment in Eunjarim is far from calm.”

The problem is, things are taking a strange turn.

“…Was that place real?”

“There’s no smoke without fire.”

Yoo So-pyeong examined the letter he was handed. It briefly warned that Eunjarim might be on the move and outlined the prevailing opinion among them.

“…The Green Dragon Sect has held power for far too long.”

Although the party had taken the lead in establishing Guryongseong at the cost of sacrifices, their opinion was that if the position of castle lord were held exclusively by the Green Dragon Party, the eight sects might harbor resentment.

“Yes, after all, someone from the Green Dragon Sect has held the position of City Lord three times already. It’s only natural that talk would arise, wouldn’t you say?”

“But aside from the Green Dragon Sect leader, aren’t there other capable figures?”

By defeating the Ten Demon Clans, the Nine Dragons Fortress became a force rivaling the Emperor’s Fortress for supremacy over the realm.

To ascend to the position of leader of such a force, military might worthy of challenging for supremacy is essential.

Only then would thousands of masters follow.

From that perspective, Nine Dragons Fortress currently lacked any talent surpassing the Green Dragon Sect Leader.

If one were to pinpoint the Green Dragon Sect Leader’s sole weakness, it was that until now, he had focused solely on honing his martial prowess, paying no heed to other matters.

“Instead, his political acumen is weak.”

“Well, that’s because Green Dragon Hall cut off external activities and went into seclusion, so it couldn’t be helped. From now on, we just need to work hard, right?”

“If you put it that way, the new lord’s lack of military strength can be compensated for by the Hermit Forest.”

Hearing Yoo So-pyeong’s words, I sensed this situation wouldn’t end easily.

“Why on earth would those old fools…?”

“No one knows the exact reason, but… it seems someone lured them in.”

“Who?”

“Someone who wants to become the new lord, I suppose.”

Several suspects came to mind, but he quickly shook his head.

Since I’m only half an outsider now, there’s nothing I can do even if I recognize it. I can’t stand political maneuvering anyway.

What matters is how the turmoil in Kowloon City affects us.

“Hmm… I wonder if it concerns us?”

“The impact shouldn’t be significant. Whoever becomes the castle lord, the current Jeonwangmun holds power no less than the inner city’s Eight Clans. Their contribution in this war wasn’t small either. However.”

Yoo So-pyeong finished his tea and continued.

“The fact remains that a trustworthy person must become the castle lord.”

“True enough.”

It was an obvious point.

No matter how much we’ve become super underdogs, underdogs are underdogs and bosses are bosses.

If you’re on bad terms with the main contractor’s CEO, you’re bound to suffer losses.

“The war isn’t over yet, so there’s plenty of time. Besides, I have to go to the castle to attend Lord Seongju’s funeral anyway.”

He rose from his seat.

“I’ll find a way by then. I need to figure out what’s going on too.”

“If you need information, shall I introduce you to Hao Mun-ju? Just put the payment in my name.”

“Ah, if you mean Lord Yong, I’ve already met him through Director Miao’s introduction. His shiny head made quite an impression.”

“……”

Our So-pyeong is so dependable—he handles things so quickly.

* * *

The war is not over.

for the remnants of the Demon Sect were returning to the Thousand Mountains to carry out the final command of the Ten Demon Alliance.

Only after eliminating all four thousand of them would the war truly end.

But Han Jung, uninvolved in the fight against the Ten Demon Alliance remnants, was busy with post-war cleanup.

Only by resolving the accumulated problems as quickly as possible could the city return to its former vibrant self.

The first task was revitalizing the commercial district.

Immediately after the war ended, rumors spread that public safety was dire, and I worried merchants wouldn’t come. But surprisingly, it was easily resolved.

“You don’t have to do anything. Ah, but you do have to answer my confession.”

“No, why? And I’ll give my answer after the situation is resolved. There’s more than one dead person, you know?”

“Hmph, pfft.”

She gave her answer obediently, though her expression was sulky.

“Well, that’s because the expensive toll the Ten Demons were collecting disappeared.”

“Ah.”

“And that’s not all. There’s more good news.”

“More?”

“The Ten Armies have plundered all the wealth from the commercial cities in Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang to prepare for war funds.”

“Is that good news?”

“Good grief, that means the entire region has been laid waste. So where do you think the merchants who traded with those places will go?”

I couldn’t help but admire her for pinpointing the core issue so precisely.

She truly was born to be a tycoon.

“……Indeed, your business acumen reaches the heavens.”

“Hehehe, you’re just now realizing that? If you really want to do something for me, pave the way.”

“The way?”

“To attract more guests, the road here must be easy to travel. Ah, why not secure the area’s safety too? If the warriors of the Jeonwang Gate patrol the roads, bandits wouldn’t dare show their faces, would they?”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll mention it to the elders.”

“Yes. But I’d appreciate knowing the date you’ll give your answer in advance. I need to prepare myself, you see?”

“……”

Well, that’s how it went.

The next urgent matter was population distribution.

During the war, we evacuated the people from the region south of Gansu Province and sent them to Hanzhong.

Although many headed elsewhere, over seventy thousand people—more than half—flocked to Hanzhong upon hearing they would be given food to survive for the time being.

This number was seven times greater than Hanzhong’s original population and amounted to a quarter of the population of either Guryongseong or the capital city. It was a number Hanzhong could not possibly accommodate.

With no other choice, they attempted to send them back to their hometowns with a small amount of money and food. However, the military department, led by Yoo So-pyeong, voiced a concern.

“If we send them back like this, many will not survive the winter.”

“Assuming we use it sparingly, about one liang per person should be sufficient…”

“Bandits might attack.”

“Well, couldn’t we just dispatch warriors to escort them?”

“There’s no guarantee bandits won’t attack after they reach their hometowns, and they might even fight amongst themselves over the money. Besides, we’re already short on warriors—we can’t spare them for months on end.”

“But we can’t just make them live in Hanzhong either…”

A reality of being caught between a rock and a hard place.

But the answer was found in an unexpected place.

“How about mobilizing them to build the road? We need manpower anyway, and paying them wages and providing rations solves their livelihood issues. Since the road itself leads to their hometown, they can travel safely too.”

The one who came up with this brilliant idea, one that made her want to shout “Eureka!” right there, was none other than Jeokhwa-ran.

As admiring glances were directed her way, she continued, looking slightly embarrassed.

“The problem is money. Myo-hyang said Sang-ryeon would cover some of it…”

Yoo So-pyeong cut off Jeok Hwa-ran’s words.

“Don’t worry about the money. I have a way.”

He pulled something out from deep within his desk drawer and showed it to me.

“This is the operational agreement we made with Nine Dragons Fortress in preparation for the war against the Ten Demon Clans.”

“So?”

“Look closely at the very bottom here. What does it say?”

“What? It’s written so small? Gu… Longseong bears the full cost of the war expenses written by the Jeonwangmun?”

“Hehehe, that’s right. Privately, I slipped it in during negotiations with my father, Mun Sang. In the smallest possible font. We can use this to extract money from the Nine Dragons Fortress.”

“No.”

Working hard is good, but what if you end up scamming Dad too?

What if you get disowned from the family registry…?

* * *

After resolving all those administrative issues, only three problems remained.

Public safety, national security, and veterans’ affairs.

Public order wasn’t much of a problem. The decorated Hanjung Defense Corps volunteered to guard it.

I awarded the Black Dragon Gate Master, who had distinguished himself greatly in this war, the Former King’s Military Merit Medal. I gave the Iron Blood Military Merit Medal to Geumjahwan, Samaaheun, and Park Ryong Gate Master. The remaining guards received the Steel Military Merit Medal.

Though merely honorary, they were all satisfied, saying they would treasure them as family heirlooms.

After all, in the martial arts world, things like honor and reputation tend to hold sway.

Next, I focused on honoring those who died in this war.

Given the times, opinions were divided and heated debates ensued, but my resolve was firm.

“If we neglect them, who will risk their lives in battle in the future?”

All members of the Royal Council had no choice but to agree. It was undeniably true.

While everyone agreed on honoring them, a long debate ensued over what benefits to provide.

Ultimately, three benefits were decided upon.

Adequate education, stable employment, and tax relief.

If the only surviving family members were young children, the government decided to take them in at the municipal level. Conversely, if only elderly people remained, support would be provided to ensure their livelihood.

Though the compensation was woefully inadequate compared to modern workplace accident settlements, everyone in the Jeonwang Gate cheered so enthusiastically upon hearing the news that they shouted “Long live the king!” three times.

“They’re even taking care of our families! What kind of insane policy is this?!”

“Gah! What are you doing! Bow to the Gate Master!”

Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

“……”

It was the moment the term “labor rights” came to mind once more.

Anyway, even if the emperor is just a puppet, I wonder if it’s really okay for him to cheer for me.

And.

I set out for Jeonwangmun to resolve the last remaining security issue.

This war taught me the importance of numbers.

How many times did I nearly die fighting the main force of the Ten Armies?

Ah, twice, actually.

Anyway, the crucial point is this: if the Jeonwangmun had been larger, far fewer people would have died in the war.

Of course, numbers alone don’t solve everything.

The strength of a martial arts sect must be evaluated by combining individual martial prowess, teamwork, and mental fortitude.

Had the predecessor of the Zhenwang Sect not been the martial arts academy, even with the same number of disciples, they would have suffered far more than this time.

In that sense, I sought a way to secure combat strength as quickly as possible.

“I greet you, Dragon Body!”

That means acquiring and merging the Black Dragon Sect.

“……”

By the way, can’t we skip that greeting?