Chapter 347 Gathering

Chapter 347: Gathering

A vast, desolate plain.

One!

Hyah-!

Two!

Hyah-!

Over five thousand infantry thrust their spears in unison to the command.

Advance-!

Kwoong. Doodoodoodoo!

As the crimson banner rose, two thousand cavalry charged as one.

A force of seventy thousand strong.

Each soldier’s eyes burned fiercely, their military discipline seemed solid, and their morale soared high.

These were the elite troops, the Golden Army, cultivated by General Jo Myeong-san at the cost of his entire fortune.

Yet, even facing such a formidable force— —Jo Myeong-san could not steady his nerves.

The shock of being betrayed by Gung Yu-ryong, a subordinate he trusted more than anyone, was immense.

‘He still has a long way to go.’

He knew that even the elite forces of Chilcheon were no match for the Lion Clan.

The opinions voiced at yesterday’s meeting further unsettled Jo Myeong-san’s mind.

‘General, you must conscript more troops. No matter how elite the Golden Army is, they stand no chance against over six thousand martial artists from the dark sects.’

‘What good will it do to bring in men who have never held a sword in their lives?’

‘If the royal guards collapse, the nation is finished. We must bolster our forces, however slightly, to have any chance of victory.’

‘…Receiving aid is acceptable, but conscription is out of the question.’

‘But…!’

‘A nation can only exist with its people. I did not raise an army to guard an empty land devoid of anyone.’

‘…….’

‘I’ll take your advice as loyal counsel. Now, you may withdraw.’

‘…Yes, Governor.’

Zhao Ming Shan had not entirely dismissed the idea of conscription.

No matter how adept an army is at collective warfare, the disparity in individual prowess when facing martial artists is starkly evident.

Perhaps the deputy commander was right—conscription might be the correct course.

If we thoroughly plunder Zhejiang Province, we could muster an army of thirty or forty thousand.

But Zhao Ming Shan was a general who defended the nation before he was an emperor-appointed general, so he could not make such a choice.

‘I should have died protecting His Majesty. Then I would have been recorded as a loyal subject.’

Following the Emperor’s command to survive and live for the future, he escaped with the Crown Prince. Yet the reality awaiting him was utterly bleak.

He barely managed to rally his troops, yet he could not drive out the warriors of the Lion Clan.

The people of Zhejiang fled to the mountains and fields, desperate to avoid being conscripted into the war.

As a result, the administration was practically paralyzed.

It was like a candle in the wind.

Sighing in frustration, Cho Myung-san headed for the barracks right behind him.

Swish.

Two martial artists, radiating an aura as imposing as Mount Tai, rose from their seats upon seeing him.

They were Oh Ryang, leader of the Haenam Sword Sect and head of Taemosanseong, and Woo Jung-cheon, leader of the Cheolsanseop faction.

“Welcome, General.”

“I shall ask plainly.”

“…Go ahead.”

“I hear you two are among the most renowned masters in the martial world and leaders of great sects.”

“……”

Zhao Ming Shan looked at them with pleading eyes as he asked.

“Could you not step forward for the sake of the nation?”

“Our contract is to protect the life of the Udo-dok until war breaks out. Had the defeated army not requested it, we would have retreated long ago from this deadly situation.”

“Even if we concede a hundred times and the three factions of the Chungnyeolgong lineage— —were to join the fight, against the Lion Clan they would be mere fireflies before the sun. They wouldn’t last two days.”

In that instant, regret flooded Jo Myeong-san’s mind like a tidal wave.

‘Had I known they were this strong, I wouldn’t have joined hands with the Jeonryongdang…’

He recalled the time he had joined forces with the Jeonryongdang and attacked the Lion Alliance’s rear.

But that didn’t last long.

‘…I suppose I’ve grown weak.’

Cho Myong-san shook his head, concluding that the incident would have happened regardless of whether he took Jeon Ryong-dang’s hand or not.

Oryang looked at Jo Myeong-san with a serious gaze and said.

“There is one way to drive them out.”

“What is it?”

“To join hands with Guolong Fortress.”

“…Though I am not a martial artist, I understand the state of the martial world. I’ve heard Nine Dragons Fortress is a worthy match for the Lion Alliance. Wouldn’t joining forces with them be like fleeing a wolf only to encounter a tiger?”

“Wouldn’t you agree a well-fed tiger is a hundred times better than a hungry wolf?”

“Hmm…”

Realizing there was no other way, he nodded.

“…Very well. Insert the communication tube . However, we must negotiate.”

“You’ve made a wise decision.”

It was the moment when Cho Myeong-san stepped into the game Wutian had set up.

* * *

Twenty days since departing Muheungseong.

During that time, I tried every conceivable method to break the hypnosis Yoo So-pyeong was under.

I even channeled my inner energy into the Baihui acupoint—a spot where the slightest mishandling could turn one into a fool—to perform something akin to a brain CT scan, yet I could find no trace of the cause.

Ultimately, there’s only one way.

It was simply to present Yu So-pyeong to the Healer’s Cleaning Service.

To this end, I dispatched Myo-san to Hanjung to fill Yu So-pyeong’s vacancy, while I took Yu So-pyeong and headed for Guryongseong.

After all, this might turn into a long-term hospitalization.

“I really do love Princess Sa Gong, I swear?!”

“No. You’re definitely under a spell right now. Otherwise, there’s no way you could like that dark toad.”

“How can you judge a person solely by their looks? Even Zhuge Liang took an ugly woman as his wife. And our Princess Sa… No, this young lady isn’t that unattractive. The more you look at her, the more charming she becomes!”

“This is serious.”

To hypnotize the head of the military affairs division of the Zhenlong Hall, none other than .

‘Black Toad… She’s as formidable as she looks.’

It was clear she planned to manipulate Yu Xiaoping to secretly control the Dragon Hall.

“This is strange. He’s under hypnosis, but nothing’s getting through to his brain… Could it be loneliness…? If it’s loneliness, I should take him to Lord Green Dragon… No. Old Master Tang, who ate even a little more of the poisoned rice, would be more certain…”

While pondering how to cure Yu Sopyeong, cheers from Yongpungdae reached his ears.

Waaah!

We’ve finally arrived!

We’re saved-!

“Maintain your dignity. Have you forgotten that the authority of the Immortal rests upon each and every one of your actions?”

Joo Cheol-san, commanding from the rear, rebuked the members in a voice dripping with icy coldness.

‘Man, he’s so uptight….’

Of course, no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t participate in the operation of Yongpungdae.

The leader of Yongpungdae was not me, but Joo Cheol-san.

If his authority were undermined, it could disrupt the chain of command.

The best approach is simply to generously fund the meal allowance so they can buy drinks.

Just as I was pondering how much to give, Joo Cheol-san asked,

“Are you heading to Seongju?”

“Of course. I need to file my return report.”

He’d rather see his wife’s innermost thoughts first, but rules are rules.

I dragged my weary body out of the carriage, knowing that skipping anything might lead to questions popping up somewhere.

Well, I had quite a few questions I wanted to ask anyway.

“I’ll go alone from here on out. Joo Dae-joo, have a drink with the kids and head home.”

“I’ll come too…”

“You know it’d just be a nuisance if I brought the escort to the castle, right? If you really insist…”

Snore… Snore…

“Or maybe take that sleeping Black Dragon Sword over there with you.”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

“Ah!”

“Huh?”

“Don’t forget to tie up that soldier Yu and lock him up in the Zhenlong Hall storeroom.”

“I will remember.”

“Well then, everyone, good work.”

* * *

“You’re here?”

“It’s been a while, but you look quite old. They say you should exercise properly and stick to a diet to age a little less, you know?”

“You try handling funeral arrangements. See if you have time.”

“Huh… That’s a cowardly excuse.”

A true alpha male never slacks off on self- .

“Sit down.”

Once seated, Mun Sang personally brewed and poured tea.

“I received the report. You secured an agreement favorable to us.”

“This is all thanks to my outstanding virtue…”

“From the report, it seems you took the lead on most of it.”

“No.”

The success of my subordinate is my merit as their superior…!

“Of course, I never said your contribution was small. After all, you were the one who forged the alliance in the first place.”

“I knew you’d recognize that.”

Mun Sang, who had been smiling briefly, suddenly asked.

“What do you think?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean So-pyeong. You’re close to him, so you should know. Is he capable of commanding Guryongseong, or should he remain just a soldier of Jeonryongdang?”

“Wouldn’t you know better than I, Mun-sang? You are his father.”

“So you agree.”

“He was entrusted with the Han-Zhong region, established the Silk Road, and stabilized the lands south of Gansu. Having accomplished all this at such a young age, wouldn’t he be capable of taking charge of the Nine Dragons Fortress in time?”

“……I see.”

“Are you considering appointing Xiao Ping as your successor?”

“Not yet. I will observe for three or four years. If no suitable talent emerges, then I will consider it.”

“Why go looking for someone else? Just put Xiao Ping in charge…”

“Because others are watching.”

“Ah…”

It seems he doesn’t want to hear talk of passing the position down through the generations.

“What about Myosan? They say he’s talented too.”

“He’s talented, but… he’s too much of an idealist.”

Mun Sang closed his eyes as he sipped his tea.

“He keeps saying that only when the people stand firm can the nation stand firm…”

“I think I understand.”

Anyway, Confucius ruins the country.

Oh dear.

‘He seems troubled by the succession issue, after all.’

Already a headache, he resolved to secretly resolve Yoo So-pyeong’s hypnosis issue without drawing attention, then asked.

“By the way, how is it progressing?”

“War will break out. Within a year or two.”

“……Suddenly?”

“Yes.”

Mun Sang recounted the recent series of events.

“So, to summarize: Udo-dok is reorganizing the imperial guards ( ), but they seem difficult to confront. Therefore, we must provoke at least a local conflict to hinder him before Saja-maeng devours Zhejiang. Is that correct?”

“Coincidentally, General Wu has expressed his intention to cooperate with us through the Chungnyeol Gong faction. Your plan worked perfectly. We’ll need to negotiate the details, but it’s a good hand we’ve been dealt.”

“Am I not going?”

Asking anxiously, Mun Sang shook his head.

“Since the Blue Dragon Sect Leader and the Black Dragon Sect Leader have already gone, you needn’t concern yourself.”

“That’s a relief.”

“One, war preparations can never be excessive. We can’t rest easy just because of this.”

“Do you have another plan?”

“I intend to increase the number of inner palace attendants.”

“The number of inner palace guards?”

“It is the Nine Dragons Fortress, after all. We must live up to its name.”

“I suppose…”

Currently, the Inner Court consists of seven halls: the Green Dragon Hall, Blue Dragon Hall, Red Dragon Hall, Gold Dragon Hall, Azure Dragon Hall, Black Dragon Hall, and Gray Dragon Hall.

This was all because Silver Dragon Hall and White Dragon Hall had been expelled, leading to murmurs among the populace that it should be called the Seven Dragon Fortress, not the Nine Dragon Fortress.

If two major factions of the were to join forces, the Nine Dragons Fortress’s strength would undergo a quantum leap of nearly 20%.

“Only one faction has expressed its intention to join immediately, but it’s a very solid force. It’s practically like gaining an army of ten thousand.”

“Seems you’ve found a decent candidate.”

“Go ahead and guess. It’s a place you know very well.”

“Hmm, let me see… The Quanshan Sect in Fujian, famous for its fist techniques, is too far… Could it be the Danli Sect in Hubei? Or perhaps the Wushuang Sword Sect in Guangdong? Or maybe…”

“They are formidable in their own right, but they cannot compare to this place.”

“I’m getting dizzy. Please tell me quickly.”

Mun Sang answered with a broad smile on his face.

“It’s your wife’s family, the Cheong family.”

“Huh? My wife?”

When did I get married?