That won’t be a particularly good choice either. (1)
“……Grand General?”
The adjutants looked at Hwangbo Ung with puzzled expressions. Had Hwangbo Ung himself not just said there was no great army over there. Then what in the world was the problem.
But Hwangbo Ung, who should have given them an answer, merely stared ahead, his expression grim. As the saying went, a thirsty man must dig his own well, so in the end, they were the first to cautiously speak up.
“Grand General. With such thick clouds of dust over there, why do you believe it to be an empty show of strength?”
Hwangbo Ung furrowed his brow at the adjutant’s words.
“That dust is not being raised by an army.”
“But…….”
“Look.”
At those words, the adjutants quickly turned their eyes back to the scene ahead.
‘What are we supposed to see….’
But however hard they looked, they could discern no difference. If anything, their conviction only grew stronger. Raising that much dust was no ordinary feat. Some clever trick might stir up dust for a short while, but surely keeping it rising continuously for this long would require vast numbers of men and warhorses.
“Grand General, we simply cannot… Huh?”
But at that moment, they too began to notice something strange.
“The dust…”
A fresh cloud of dust rose on the left and spread towards the right. Though it had no clearly defined shape, its movement was plain to men who had spent decades watching the dust stirred up by warhorses.
And yet…
“…..Fast.”
“Indeed.”
The dust was rising quickly. Abnormally so. Even the swiftest warhorse could not move that fast. Moreover, raising that much dust would require at least several dozen warhorses, and it was absolutely impossible for so many horses to all run at such a speed.
“……I see.”
The adjutants found themselves nodding.
Now that they knew the truth, it was plain to see. The dust rising before their eyes was certainly not being stirred up by a great army.
‘But we can only see it because we know.’
Even when they had been entirely unaware, Grand General Hwangbo Ung had seen through it in an instant. It was in moments like these that the difference in ‘caliber’ became apparent.
“Such a petty trick.”
The adjutants flushed slightly at the realization. Hwangbo Ung’s exceptional abilities did not change the fact that they had fallen for the enemy’s ploy.
“Grand General. Give the order. We will drag those scoundrels who dared play such tricks before you here at once.”
“Yes, Grand General! Allow me to go.”
The adjutants implored him, but Hwangbo Ung kept his gaze fixed ahead without so much as twitching an eyebrow.
“Grand General.”
“And how would you do that?”
“……Pardon?”
Hwangbo Ung furrowed his brow. Turning his head, he fixed the adjutants with a stern glare.
“Did you not see? That they are moving faster than warhorses.”
“…Ah.”
“How do you expect to chase down and capture people who can move at such speeds?”
The adjutants fell silent. After a moment’s deliberation, one of them cautiously spoke.
“…Could it be that no one is actually running there in the first place? If they were using some mechanical contraption…“
“If a mechanism could accomplish such a thing, they would have been better off setting a trap to put us in a difficult position. What fool would go to such lengths merely to stir up dust?”
Acknowledging the truth of the Grand General’s words, the adjutant lowered his head without answering.
“But Grand General. Then what is causing that dust?”
“Indeed.”
The Grand General nodded. His eyes gleamed fiercely.
“Martial artists.”
“Martial artists…….”
That explanation made everything fall into place. Once the adjutants realized that those before them were most likely martial artists, they could see why Hwangbo Ung was troubled.
“Why would martial artists……”
Someone let out a low groan.
Not all martial artists belonged to Gangho. Some who served the Imperial Court practiced martial arts just as those in Gangho did. The military, too, sometimes required officers above a certain rank to learn martial arts. They needed to look no further than themselves, for they were military officers with some martial training as well.
But that only made the situation harder to understand.
“Martial artists in the Imperial Capital would belong to the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Eastern Depot. Why would they suddenly stand in our way? That Do Hyeon…”
“The Grand Eunuch.”
“…My apologies. Surely this could only mean that the Grand Eunuch has betrayed us.”
For the Eastern Depot to act, it needed permission from Do Hyeon, the Grand Eunuch.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard? The same held true for them. Only one person in all the land could command them. But if the Emperor had mobilized them, surely some word would have come from Do Hyeon.
Yet they had received no message whatsoever. Naturally, they had no choice but to suspect him.
“…The Imperial Court is not the only place where martial artists can be found.”
“Grand General, surely you do not suspect those of Gangho?”
“There is no reason to rule them out. That, too, is one of the possibilities.”
“But… Why would those of Gangho suddenly involve themselves in this?”
Hwangbo Ung gave no answer and sank into thought for a moment.
‘There are not many.’
Ten or so at most. An absurdly small number.
But that very fact made Hwangbo Ung hesitate.
There was no reason to fear them simply because they belonged to Gangho. After all, they were nothing more than a disorganized rabble who had never learned the strict military discipline. He acknowledged their individual strength, but war was no sparring match to pit one person’s martial prowess against another’s.
If he set his mind to it, he would not hesitate to take on the entire Gangho, so why would he fear a mere ten martial artists.
That was precisely why he hesitated.
‘What could they possibly be thinking, standing in our way with so few men?’
Was it a trap? No, it was far too crude for a trap. But if it was not a trap, it made even less sense. Then were they truly fools with no plan at all?
‘That cannot be.’
However foolish a person might be, they still knew fear. Yet standing before an army with so few was something only the exceptionally bold could do. In that case, he also had to consider the possibility that they had some other purpose in mind.
“What on earth are they thinking?”
Hwangbo Ung’s brow furrowed further. Countless possibilities were racing through his mind.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Oh, sure, keep thinking.”
Chung Myung took a handful of roasted beans from his pouch and flicked one into his mouth with his thumb.
As he crunched away on the beans, a sly grin spread across his face.
“But what now? All that thinking won’t give you an answer.”
The disciples of Hwasan shuddered at the sight of him snickering, as though it gave them chills.
“…What has he been muttering to himself all this time?”
“Just leave him be. This is hardly anything new.“
“It’s just that his symptoms seem worse today.”
“That is true.”
Yoon Jong was the sort of person who quietly took a detour whenever he encountered something unsightly. Unfortunately, Baek Cheon was not that sort of person. If he encountered something unsightly, he had to at least poke it with a stick first.
“But… what do you mean they won’t be able to make a move as long as we keep this up? Our preparations are so sloppy.”
“They can’t move because it’s so sloppy.”
“….That’s what I’m asking you to explain. You said their commander is renowned for his skill, so surely he’ll notice we haven’t prepared properly.”
“Of course he will.”
When Chung Myung nodded as though it were no big deal, Baek Cheon finally exploded.
“Oh, come on! Stop giving me half-assed answers and explain, you bastard!”
“Ugh.”
Chung Myung scratched his head vigorously.
“All right, all right. Fine, I suppose this is the burden I bear for being so smart.”
“…”
“That old man will obviously notice we haven’t prepared properly. That goes without saying.”
“Right.”
“Then what do you think he’ll make of it? Will he think, ‘A bunch of lunatics have come here completely unprepared because they have a death wish,’ or will he suspect that even our lack of preparation is part of some larger plan?”
“Well…….”
Baek Cheon fell silent.
Normally, when an opponent appeared ill-prepared, one would assume the former.
‘But only when there’s a limit to how ill-prepared they are.’
When their preparations were this flimsy, it became difficult to believe they had simply failed to prepare adequately.
“….So you’re saying he’ll think it’s a trap?”
“Well, he might.”
Baek Cheon frowned at Chung Myung’s somehow infuriating response.
“Let’s say you’re right. It’s possible. Much as I hate to admit it.”
“…Whose side are you on, Sasuk?”
“Certainly not yours. Anyway, even if that’s true, they’re not in a position to remain stuck here indefinitely. They’re the ones running out of time. If it were me, I’d try to break through even if it meant taking some losses.”
“Exactly.”
“….Huh?”
Baek Cheon tilted his head again. Talking to this bastard sometimes left him confused about what he himself had said.
“You’re saying I’m right?”
“Yeah. Well, to be precise, you’re only half right. Why are they pressed for time in the first place?”
“Because… they need to finish this before reinforcements reach the Imperial Capital.”
“No. That’s not the reason. To be precise, it’s because this is a mission that absolutely cannot be allowed to fail.”
“…”
Baek Cheon stared at Chung Myung with an expression that suggested he was on the verge of understanding, before suddenly letting out an exclamation.
“So you’re saying… even a general who would normally choose to advance in these circumstances despite some losses can’t make his usual bold moves right now? For fear that even those small losses might cause him to fail?”
“That’s right.”
Baek Cheon muttered blankly.
“How does that make… No, I suppose it does make sense.”
He thought he more or less understood. What mattered was not whether forcing an advance or holding back was the right choice. It was the fact that neither choice could be made easily. Hwangbo Ung was probably being more cautious now than he had ever been in his life.
So the dust was a way to keep Hwangbo Ung rooted in place by making him even more cautious than he already was, rather than a means of deceiving the enemy.
‘But that’s easier said than done.‘
To read the enemy’s mind in such a desperate situation and think of exploiting it? With a ploy that could easily backfire without achieving anything?
‘What the hell did this bastard grow up eating?’
The more he learned about Chung Myung, the less he understood him.
“Hmm. I understand the reasoning.“
Jo Geol stepped forward, still looking somewhat confused.
“That doesn’t mean they can keep hesitating like that forever, does it?”
“Well, true.”
“He’ll have to order an advance eventually. After all, there could hardly be a worse outcome than wasting time here until they’re ultimately defeated.”
“Yeah, that’s right. But.”
Chung Myung grinned.
“That won’t be a particularly good choice either.”
“Huh?”
Jo Geol tilted his head to one side.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Grand General.”
“Hmm.”
Hwangbo Ung slowly shook his head.
“There’s someone quite extraordinary among them.”
“Pardon?”
“…Even among those who have served in the military, I don’t believe I’ve often encountered someone of this caliber.”
The adjutants looked at Hwangbo Ung in astonishment.
Had Hwangbo Ung ever praised an opponent so highly before?
‘But why?’
They did not doubt Hwangbo Ung’s judgment. If Hwangbo Ung said so, then it was so. This was no blind faith. They simply trusted him because everything they had seen of him thus far gave them ample reason to do so.
But had Hwangbo Ung not seen far too little to make such an assessment? What in the world had he seen in those clouds of dust?
“However.”
Hwangbo Ung soon shook his head.
“We have no time to indulge them at our leisure. Advance. We will break through.”
“Yes!”
No sooner had Hwangbo Ung given the order than the Red Banner Army began to move. Hwangbo Ung’s eyes grew somber as he gazed at the forest, where clouds of dust continued to rise.
________
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