Return of the Mount Hua

It is the regret you will come to have. (4)

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Thunk.

Jin Songwon slammed down the bowl he had brought, almost as if he were throwing it. The half-cooled porridge inside swayed briefly before settling.

Baek Cheon, who had been staring intently at the bowl of porridge before him, shifted his gaze to Jin Songwon. Jin Songwon, his face concealed by a mask, spat out his words.

“Eat.”

“Thank you.”

Maintaining polite manners, Baek Cheon carefully lifted the bowl with both hands. Though he trembled slightly, he managed not to drop it.

As he watched Baek Cheon drink the porridge directly from the bowl, Jin Songwon rebuked with an air of disbelief.

“You lack vigilance. What if it were poisoned?”

“…”

“We are now your enemies. Surely you’re aware of that?”

Baek Cheon set down the porridge he had been drinking. His face remained utterly calm as he looked at Jin Songwon.

“If you intended to kill me, there were easier ways. You wouldn’t have saved me in the first place.”

“…”

“Would you really go through the trouble of poisoning the porridge just to kill me now?”

“You speak well.”

At a loss for words, Jin Songwon closed his mouth. Baek Cheon then grasped the bowl again and calmly drank it.

Jin Songwon’s gaze darkened.

“Why haven’t you left?”

Baek Cheon lowered the bowl and replied.

“You haven’t told me to leave, have you?”

“But I have never told you to stay, either.”

“…”

“There’s nothing left for you to see here now.”

Jin Songwon had saved Baek Cheon purely on a whim. No, to be honest, perhaps he wanted someone, just anyone, to listen to his story.

Someone who could understand his situation, someone with whom he could share his feelings, even if just a little.

In other words, someone who might even understand him.

This also meant that from the moment their conversation ended, Baek Cheon no longer had a reason to stay here.

No one stopped him, no one watched him. He could have left at any time if he wished.

Baek Cheon chuckled softly.

“Well, I suppose that’s for me to decide.”

At that, Jin Songwon’s face, concealed behind a mask, twitched slightly.

“I’ll say it again: neither I nor those here have particularly good feelings towards your people. It wouldn’t be strange if someone rushed in right now to cut off your head.”

“That’s likely.”

Baek Cheon nodded calmly.

Of course, strictly speaking, Baek Cheon was not at fault.

But not everyone can judge so rationally, especially those who are cornered.

“Knowing that, should I take you lingering here as that you’ve lost your attachment to life?”

At Jin Songwon’s cynical words, Baek Cheon, instead of answering immediately, finished the remaining porridge. Then he slowly placed the bowl on the floor.

“I have thought that way before.”

“….Hmm?”

“I mean, even if I were to die right now, I wouldn’t find it particularly regrettable or unfair. I felt I had nothing left to lose.”

“But you’re saying it’s different now?”

Baek Cheon’s gaze turned to the outside of the tent. Through the open entrance, he could see people sprawled out here and there.

“It’s just that my perspective has shifted a bit.”

Jin Songwon’s eyes grew cold as he followed the direction of Baek Cheon’s gaze.

“Ah, seeing those worse off than you barely scraping by like insects – has that made you suddenly find life too precious to die now?”

“Well, perhaps. That might be the case.”

“…What did you say?”

A faint killing intent leaked from Jin Songwon. It was faint not because his anger was mild, rather, it was faint because he couldn’t fully suppress it. This truly was a dangerous sign.

Baek Cheon sensed this but remained calm, his expression unchanged.

“But strictly speaking, it’s a bit different.”

He spoke while still keeping his gaze fixed outside.

“I just realized that there’s still something I haven’t lost.”

Jin Songwon looked down at Baek Cheon in silence. The killing intent that had been tightly drawn suddenly loosened.

“A life with nothing to do, it seems.”

“That’s how it is.”

Jin Songwon let out a faint sigh, so that Baek Cheon wouldn’t hear.

‘Different…’

In a different sense, Jin Songwon also felt that Baek Cheon was ‘different.’

Their situations were equally hopeless. No, depending on how you looked at it, Baek Cheon might be submerged in an even deeper abyss than those here.

After all, the people here still had reasons to keep living, but Baek Cheon no longer had anything like that.

And yet… in this place where everyone had lost their light and color, only Baek Cheon seemed to still hold onto a faint light.

It was so faint it was barely visible, but to Jin Songwon right now, that light was dazzling. Almost too much to look at.

Jin Songwon closed his eyes, overcame by dizziness. Images of the children, who might still be far away, came to his mind.

And at that moment, someone appeared in front of the tent.

Entering with leisurely steps, he cast a brief glance at Baek Cheon, then whispered something to Jin Songwon before swiftly leaving.

Jin Songwon gazed at Baek Cheon in silence for a moment. Then he spoke.

“I don’t know what you intend to do, but it seems the opportunity to do so has disappeared.”

“Pardon?”

As if in response to Baek Cheon’s question, a commotion began outside.

Those who had seemed like dead bodies leaning against the walls slowly started to rise. Though their speeds varied, not a single person remained still.

A sudden ominous feeling flashed through Baek Cheon’s mind.

“…Are you being sent to the battlefield?”

“That would be fortunate.”

“…Then?”

“A general mobilization order has been issued. Not a single person is exempt.”

Baek Cheon’s eyes wavered greatly. A general mobilization order. He immediately grasped the true meaning of those words.

Although there was no need to add more, Jin Songwon drove the nail deeper.

“All-out war.”

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Baek Cheon’s forehead.

❀ ❀ ❀

Ho Gamyeong felt his lips becoming parched.

Suddenly…

It’s certainly something to be pleased about that Jang Ilso’s mind has cleared up. There’s no reason for concern.

However, if the first command he issues after regaining clarity is a general mobilization, that’s a different story.

Watching the troops of Sapaeryeon gathering one by one, Ho Gamyeong glanced at Jang Ilso standing next to him.

No different.

With a lidded gaze and slightly upturned corners of the mouth. A face that looks confident yet somehow exudes an ominous aura. This was exactly the Jang Ilso he had observed over many years.

But precisely because of that, he felt even more uneasy.

“….Ryeonju.”

“Speak.”

“By issuing a general mobilization now, you mean to…?”

“Yes. You know.”

Jang Ilso gave a faint smile.

“It means we’ll wage a proper war. An all-out war.”

“….So suddenly?”

“Are you worried?”

Ho Gamyeong let out a short sigh and spoke in one breath.

“To be honest, I’m greatly concerned. As I reported, the internal situation is not favorable. Supplies are lacking, and morale is at its worst. The bigger problem is that the relationships among those who are the main pillars of Sapaeryeon have deteriorated to the worst point. Moreover…”

“Moreover.”

Without a need to hear the rest, Jang Ilso cut him off with a sly smile.

“Doubts and criticisms about Ryeonju are sprouting. Isn’t that so?”

Ho Gamyeong couldn’t bring himself to affirm or deny and let out a groan. Even putting all that aside, it was clear that now was not the right time to wage a full-scale war.

“Although Cheon Myeon Susa did not accomplish his mission perfectly, he surely left seeds of discord among them. So isn’t now the time to reorganize our alliance internally and wait for those seeds to sprout?”

“Gamyeong-ah, Gamyeong-ah… why are you being so frustrating?”

Jang Ilso let out a deep sigh.

“…Ryeonju?”

“You of all people should know. In a war, the superior side doesn’t always win.”

“…”

“Try to answer me. Which side wins in a war?”

Ho Gamyeong chewed the inside of his mouth. Not because he didn’t know the answer, but because he did. Because he knew what Jang Ilso was getting at.

“Those who fight in wars are bound to break. It can’t be helped. They have to kill countless people, and their comrades die beside them – wouldn’t it be strange if they didn’t break down? When you might die tomorrow, shouting at them a hundred times to stay calm and keep their reason is nothing but nonsense.”

Ho Gamyeong nodded in agreement. Jang Ilso continued speaking with a smile.

“That’s why in a war, it’s not the superior side that wins, but the side that’s less broken.”

He had experienced it many times already.

They had grasped victory against forces stronger than themselves, and had repeatedly struggled against those weaker than them.

What was the reason for that?

“How perfect we are isn’t important. What’s important is whether our situation is better than the enemy’s right now.”

The two groups that divide the world are already locked in a fierce struggle in a swamp they cannot escape. As much as Sapaeryeon is broken, so is Cheonumaeng.

‘Looking at it calmly, their condition is a bit worse than ours.’

So, Jang Ilso’s words were not wrong. However, Ho Gamyeong’s doubts and concerns still lingered.

“I understand your intentions, Ryeonju. But… isn’t now the time when we can further solidify our chance of victory just by simply waiting?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes. Although Maehwa Geomgwi defeated Cheon Myeon Susa, Cheon Myeon Susa wasn’t killed or injured beyond recovery. The fear that Cheon Myeon Susa might strike again will eat away at them.”

“…Hmm. And?”

“Also, they can easily assume that Cheon Myeon Susa isn’t the only stratagem we have. That will further fuel their anxiety. So, Ryeonju, for now, if we can just buy some time…”

Ho Gamyeong trailed off and eventually closed his mouth. He realized it as he was speaking – why Jang Ilso considered now being the right time.

Jang Ilso slowly nodded.

“Yes. That’s it. They will surely think that I’m devising another scheme and will try to prepare for it.”

They, too, had observed Jang Ilso for a long time. His strategies always achieved maximum effect with minimal movement. He preferred attacks akin to arrows shot from afar.

“That’s why.”

Jang Ilso licked his blood-red lips.

“Those who are preparing against stratagems do not consider an all-out war. While they think we’re up to some dirty tricks, they actually become more lax.”

“…”

“Both sides are equally wrecked and in disarray.”

Jang Ilso’s gaze was fixed ahead. A densely packed crowd, like a swarm of ants covering the ground, was gathering before the two of them.

“Therefore, before they recover, we must topple them and trample them so they can never rise again. That is how we win.”

Ho Gamyeong closed his eyes. There was no room for objection.

Paegun Jang Ilso he knew was here now.

The densely gathered crowd and the leaders making their presence known at the forefront awaited Jang Ilso’s command.

Normally, Ho Gamyeong would have observed everyone’s expressions and atmosphere, but this time he didn’t even glance at them.

Here, the only person he needed to look at was just one.

Stepping forward, Ho Gamyeong turned to look at Jang Ilso.

“Preparations are complete, Ryeonju.”

Even his voice, usually cold and composed, trembled slightly.

“Your command!”

Ho Gamyeong bowed deeply. Then, those lined up behind him all simultaneously knelt on one knee. Everyone instinctively knew what they had to do now.

Jang Ilso looked down at those bowing before him. It was a breathtaking sight, but instead of holding his breath, he gave a familiar smile.

“Let’s go.”

He turned around, his crimson robes fluttering widely.

“To seize the Central Plains.”

The blood-red robes at the very front fluttered like a banner, as Sapaeryeon began to move.

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