I can’t do it alone. (4)
“Then, how much will you give us per month?”
“…Please, just shut up.”
“Enough already, you bastard!”
Five Swords, with exhausted faces, grabbed Chung Myung. Trying to stop this guy was harder than breaking through death’s door since Hainan.
“I’m sorry, Lord Tang…”
“No… You have nothing to apologize for.”
Tang Gunak bitterly smiled at Baek Cheon’s apologetic expression. Then he looked at Chung Myung and spoke.
“It is true that the Tang Clan has money. And it is also true that it is more than you might think.”
“Kuh. Look at the shine of luxury on his face. He looks like a different person.”
Tang Gunak cleared his throat with a cough and spoke again.
“But Sichuan Tang Clan will never give that money to Hwasan.”
Chung Myung’s eyes widened.
“What? Are you trying to play with me…? Mmph! Mmph!”
As Chung Myung was dragged away again, Baek Cheon sighed deeply and turned to Tang Gunak.
“Please don’t mind him. Hwasan is not an uncouth sect that would demand money from the struggling Sichuan Tang Clan. On the contrary, we…”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Yes?”
“Money only has meaning when it is spent. But… not in that way.”
Tang Gunak turned his head, searching for Hyun Jong with his eyes. It seemed he had something important to say.
“It is time for us to move beyond these makeshift measures.”
His gaze sank deeply.
At Tang Gunak’s courteous words, Hyun Jong’s eyes widened.
“…What did you just say?”
“I said exactly what you heard.”
“But… Lord Tang, that seems a bit…”
“It is something that must be done, Alliance Leader.”
Tang Gunak was resolute.
“Of course, I understand your concerns. The Alliance was founded purely on the camaraderie of each sect. Nothing else should interfere. However, the current situation is vastly different from when Cheonumaemg was first established.”
“That is true, but…”
“We now need a more clear and definite approach. With the loose structure we have now, we won’t be able to handle the upcoming turmoil.”
Hyun Jong’s face grew serious. Tang Gunak’s words were not wrong. However, the method he was suggesting…
At that moment, Chung Myung suddenly poked his head out from between the wall of bodies Five Swords had formed.
“Uh, so what you mean is…”
“Get back inside!”
Baek Cheon tried to grab Chung Myung’s face and push him back, but Chung Myung resisted firmly and finally spoke up.
“Since the Tang clan is moving to Shaanxi anyway, are you suggesting we establish the main base of Cheonumaeng near Hwaeum?”
“That’s correct.”
“And gather all the alliance members scattered everywhere there?”
“Precisely.”
Up to this point, it wasn’t a particularly enticing proposal, at least not to Chung Myung. In fact, having the main base of Cheonumaeng in Shaanxi could be reassuring for Hwasan, but to put it simply, it also meant that those targeting Cheonumaeng only needed to attack Shaanxi.
However, Chung Myung couldn’t resist the bait Tang Gunak had thrown. The reason was…
“And in return, we’ll collect tribute?”
“…We should call it membership fees, not a tribute.”
“Ah, right! Membership fees, membership fees! Hehe. I misspoke.”
Chung Myung laughed slyly, pretending to be embarrassed, but everyone watching twisted their faces in disgust.
‘That bastard’s eyes are shaped like coins now.’
‘He knew exactly what he was saying.’
Pushing Five Swords aside, Chung Myung cleared his throat loudly and continued.
“Hmm… Money isn’t particularly important, but…”
“It is important.”
“Probably more important than anything in the world.”
“That bastard would even sell Hwasan for money.”
“Oh, shut up over there.”
Chung Myung waved his fist at Five Swords and then turned to Tang Gunak to speak again.
“Is it really necessary to go that far?”
Tang Gunak laughed softly at the straightforward question.
“It is.”
“That’s…”
“Through this incident, I have deeply realized something. Compared to Sapaeryeon, Cheonumaemg’s critical weakness is that it has too many places to protect.”
“…Hmm.”
Chung Myung nodded as if acknowledging the point.
“If the Tang clan hadn’t been attacked, I wouldn’t have thought this far either. But having gone through it, I understand.”
“…Are you saying others shouldn’t suffer like the Tang clan?”
“Think about it. What if the Tang clan hadn’t been attacked this time? If we had been lucky enough to arrive at the Tang clan’s estate in time and push back Maninbang?”
“…”
“Even then, could we have mobilized the same number of elite forces to support us in the future?”
It would be absolutely impossible. Knowing that their main base could be attacked, they would naturally have to consider protecting it.
“In order to leave enough forces to withstand any attack from Sapaeryeon for a few days, at least half of our troops would need to be stationed at the base. Do you understand what that means?”
“Of course, I understand.”
Tang Gunak nodded. There was no way Chung Myung didn’t grasp this reality.
“So what we need to do first is reduce the number of places we need to protect. Before any major incidents occur, we must gather all Cheonumaeng’s sects scattered across the land and bring them to Shaanxi.”
“…Not just the warriors?”
“That’s right.”
Tang Gunak nodded again.
“If we leave them behind, Jang Ilso will undoubtedly target those places. Then we would once again be at his mercy. Even if the involved parties vehemently object, it will happen.”
This was not a comment about himself but a pointed remark directed at Chung Myung. If the Ice Palace were attacked and the families of the Ice Palace warriors were killed by Jang Ilso, even if the Ice Palace objected, Chung Myung would undoubtedly head there.
Chung Myung found it difficult to refute.
“But if the key members of each sect are all gathered around Hwaeum in Shaanxi, then we only need to protect Shaanxi. The places Jang Ilso can target will be drastically reduced, and the strategies he could employ will be limited.”
“Hmm.”
Chung Myung couldn’t refute Tang Gunak’s words and subtly nodded.
In truth, he had considered this idea before. Jang Ilso held countless cards in his hand, and even Chung Myung found it overwhelming to respond to each one. A fight between someone with nothing to lose and someone who must protect everything is skewed from the start. It’s almost a foregone conclusion.
The key is to reduce the number of cards Jang Ilso can play. In that sense, this strategy is indeed significant.
But the reason Chung Myung couldn’t bring himself to speak up despite knowing this was simple: money.
Gathering people together means taking responsibility for them. In an uncertain and potentially prolonged war, embarking on such a plan without a solid strategy could lead to severe supply issues.
Just arranging accommodation and providing adequate food for all those people would require the full mobilization of the Eunha merchant guild, setting aside all other tasks.
Hwasan alone could never bear such immense expenses.
“I understand your concerns. But that’s not something you need to worry about.”
“Talking big is nice, but it’s not that simple. You know that Hwasan, the Ice Palace, and the Beast Palace aren’t as wealthy as Tangga or Namgung.”
“Hwasan?”
“…”
Chung Myung averted his gaze from Tang Gunak’s blatant look, which clearly questioned why Hwasan, which had been amassing wealth from across the Central Plains, would align itself with those struggling sects in the remote, barren regions.
“Well, it’s like pouring water into a bottomless pit.”
“Let’s just leave it at that.”
“Ahem. Anyway!”
Tang Gunak nodded.
“You don’t need to worry about that part. I don’t believe that the membership fees… I mean, the contributions from each sect will cover everything. That’s just a formality. The Tang clan and Namgung clan will handle all the necessary expenses.”
“….”
“Not only the cost of building the main base of Cheonumaeng and supporting those who will gather there, but also the expenses for the upcoming war with Sapaeryeon.”
“Are you sure you can manage that?”
War is a voracious ghost consuming all available resources. Although wars fought by martial artists may require less money than those involving armies, it is still a war nonetheless. And now, the Tang clan, having lost seventy percent of its wealth, was declaring that it would invest the remaining funds into preparing for this conflict.
“We’ve already proven that hoarded wealth is meaningless, haven’t we?”
“That’s true, but…”
Hwasan had also once been wealthy, until it all went up in flames. That was all…
“If we don’t learn from this mistake, we will only repeat it. Now is not the time to try to protect what little we have left. Rather, it is time to actively create a place where we can stand strong.”
“…”
Chung Myung looked at him in admiration, and Tang Gunak smiled faintly. Then he turned his gaze to Hyun Jong.
“We need to do this, Alliance Leader.”
“But Lord Tang, while you are right… persuading others is…”
Hyun Jong’s face showed his discomfort. At that moment, Jo Geol, who had been observing the situation, quietly asked Yoon Jong.
“Sahyeong.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t this… basically a form of blackmail?”
“Blackmail? What are you talking about?”
“Well, think about it. They’re saying they’ll put up thirty percent of their wealth, but realistically, most of that will probably be used to ensure the Tang clan’s survival, won’t it?”
“…Uh?”
Yoon Jong tilted his head in confusion. Now that he thought about it…
“And now they’re handling this under the banner of Cheonumaeng, using it as a pretext to pull in all the money from the other sects. Like, ‘Even in our dire situation, we’re contributing, so why aren’t you?’”
“Surely not…”
“No, really think about it. Which sects in Cheonumaeng have money right now?”
“Namgung clan and…”
Yoon Jong suddenly turned his head sharply to look at Tang Gunak, as if realizing something.
“Nokrim…”
“Exactly, right?”
Nokrim had earned a lot of money. Originally, it wasn’t a poor sect, but handling the intermediary trade of Maehwado had brought in substantial wealth.
“They couldn’t extort the money Nokrim earned because they lacked justification, but now Lord Tang is providing that justification, isn’t he?”
“No matter how you look at it, you’re overthinking this because you’re from a merchant family…”
“Really? Can you still say that after seeing this?”
“…Uh?”
Yoon Jong turned his gaze to where Jo Geol was gesturing with his chin.
“Let’s do it, retired Sect Leader.”
“Uh?”
“It’s not polite to refuse when the Lord of the Tang clan is making such a firm proposal, is it?”
“Uh, no, but…”
“Do it.”
“That…”
“Do it.”
Understanding the situation perfectly, Chung Myung wore the most serene expression in the world.
“It’s all for the Central Plains, isn’t it? Hm? For the Central Plains. This isn’t about fulfilling my own desires. For the sake of the Central Plains, we need to… not extort, but secure cooperation from Namgung clan and Nokrim. It’s all for the common folk!”
“That’s right, Alliance Leader.”
“…”
“Finally, we can breathe a little easier. Hehehe!”
Yoon Jong, who had been quietly observing, turned to Jo Geol with a weary look.
“…By the way, do you think it’s possible that when a person’s house burns down, they become strange?”
“…I’m not sure about that either…”
Watching Tang Gunak and Chung Myung pressuring Hyun Jong from both sides, Yoon Jong could only shake his head.
________
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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