Shark Hunting (2)
“Squad Leader. Where do you intend to infiltrate…?”
“We’ll strike the south and the north.”
Geum Cheon-gang looked down at the map spread before him and pointed to the southern and northern coasts of Hainan Island. Samho, who had asked the question, studied the indicated locations with a doubtful expression.
“Wouldn’t that be too far?”
“That’s exactly why we must go there. They already know the direction we’re coming from, so they’ll reinforce the northern and western borders. We’ll send a small detachment from the north to draw their attention, then slip through to the south in the confusion.
Once we land, the distance to the Hainan Sect will be shortest from there. If we move at full speed, we’ll reach them in no time. We must arrive as quickly as possible and erase the Hainan Sect from the Central Plains. That is our goal.”
“…The decoy unit will be sacrificed, then.”
“Someone must bleed for victory.”
Geum Cheon-gang regarded his gathered subordinates with a bitter gaze.
If we lose, we all die.
Even if we win… there will be no bloodless triumph.
Geum Cheon-gang stared blankly at the waves crashing against the cliff. Little time remained before they would cross those waves and land on Hainan Island.
“Who will serve as the bait?”
“Squad Leader! I’ll do it!”
“Sixteen.”
Starting with Sixteen, members of the Black Shark Squad began rising one after another. When ten had volunteered, Geum Cheon-gang called them forward.
“Becoming the bait is no different from walking into fire with straw on your back. You may die without accomplishing anything. Even so, do you still volunteer for this role?”
“Leave it to us! We’ll see it through!”
Sixteen, the first to rise, answered in a resounding voice. Satisfied, Geum Cheon-gang smiled and drew a wooden box from his robes. When he opened the lid, the smell of gunpowder wafted out, revealing three baseball-sized spheres. He carefully picked one up and placed it in his subordinate’s hand.
“This is precious. Use it well.”
“Loyalty!”
Geum Cheon-gang handed over one of the rare Thunder Bombs—only three of which had been issued even by the Heavenly Demon Cult—then turned his back.
“Launch the boats. The sun will soon set, and the Heavenly Demon’s grace will watch over us.”
“The Heavenly Demon Returns! All Demons Prostrate!”
The Black Shark Squad’s cry shattered against the waves and sank into the sea.
“…Do you happen to know the term ‘surrounding Wei to save Zhao’?”
Surrounding Wei to save Zhao.
Regardless of its origin, it referred to a flanking maneuver.
“I do.”
The day after I ordered the poison, while helping with war preparations, a possibility occurred to me. I immediately sought out the sect leader.
In the hall where he usually stayed, the sect leader was now studying a map and speaking with his head disciple.
“We know they are invading Hainan Island. And…”
“They also know that we’ve realized it. Is that what you mean?”
“Yes.”
If both sides knew the other would attack or defend, what card could be played? My conclusion was a diversionary operation.
On land it might be different, but to overcome the unique environment of an island, that was the wisest choice. Splitting forces evenly into two prongs was possible, but that carried a fatal flaw, making it unlikely they would choose it.
Even if the enemy outnumbered us, they would still number only in the hundreds. If they split that force in half and one side was annihilated, the other would likely be overwhelmed and collapse as well.
That was why I expected a diversionary tactic.
“Hmm… Your reasoning has merit. But if you’re right, we have a serious problem. There are four places we must guard, yet if they follow your logic, they’ll only come from two directions.”
So there was no way to know where they would land.
We could only guess with roughly fifty-fifty odds, or calculate the shortest route assuming they knew the island’s geography.
“The closest landing point to the Hainan Sect is the southern pier. If they want to finish this as quickly as possible, the south offers the greatest advantage.”
“However, couldn’t they feint and come from the west or east instead?”
“That’s why communication between us is crucial. Assign at least three people with sharp night vision to each beacon. The moment they spot anything, they must light the signal fire immediately.”
We couldn’t ignore that possibility either.
The fact that it forced us to spread our forces was frustrating.
If we were defeated in detail, we’d be in real trouble.
Perhaps we should be grateful it was an island? With water on all sides, the number of viable strategies shrank considerably.
If we had cannons the story would be different, but even the fearsome Demonic Cult wouldn’t bring artillery. Doing so would bring the regular army, not the martial world, into play.
No matter how deranged the Demonic Cult was, they wouldn’t want to fight the army.
“Understood. I’ll make sure everyone is properly informed. The fishermen are already working hard to extract the fish poison. When I told them it was for the enemy, they volunteered to handle it themselves.”
The fishermen were doing their part to defend Hainan Island.
“If possible, have them collect night soil as well. Smearing arrowheads with it can be quite effective.”
“Good heavens… Very well.”
“Sir Wei, would you also advise us on troop deployment?”
“Place the elders where they can take the lead.”
Skilled martial artists needed to stand at the front to minimize casualties.
It would look like we were working the old men to the bone, but they would gladly step forward. Who wouldn’t fight when the Demonic Cult was coming to burn their homeland to ash?
“What will you do, Sir Wei?”
“I’ll stand at the head of the main force.”
“…The vanguard is the most dangerous position.”
“I’ve always stood in the vanguard. Besides, the one who devised the plan showing his face will do more for morale than hiding in the rear.”
A knight always takes the front.
I had no intention of breaking that iron rule.
“…Don’t die.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve survived far worse than this.”
If you seek death, you will live. If you seek life, you will die.
I smiled as I recalled the saying I had once thought was merely a proverb, but which two years of living here had made painfully real.
“We will win.”
A night so black the stars were invisible.
Ten members of the special detachment aboard a medium-sized vessel looked at one another.
“Let’s have one last drink before we do this.”
“Thirty-Two. Where did you even get alcohol?”
“I bought it on the sly last time we went for supplies. It’s called Dead Leaf Green Wine. Doesn’t the name alone sound delicious?”
Thirty-Two proudly set the ceramic bottle of Dead Leaf Green Wine on the deck. At the sight of the fine bottle, the corners of the detachment members’ mouths lifted.
“You rascal, you even know about this stuff.”
“Did you volunteer just so you could drink this in secret?”
“Sneaky bastard…”
“Let’s each have a sip. Even if we’re going to die, we should at least wet our lips with good liquor.”
“I love you, Thirty-Two!”
“Knew we could count on you!”
“Take that back right now!”
“Shut up, you lot. Just get ready to drink.”
It was essentially a suicide mission.
Yet these men, raised with no other way of life, could not even conceive of another choice.
“Then I’ll start…”
Thirty-Two carefully removed the stopper from the bottle of Dead Leaf Green Wine, handling it as though it might break.
The moment the stopper came free, a sharp, piercing aroma flooded the air.
“Me first…”
As the purchaser, Thirty-Two had the right to the first sip. The young Demonic Cult warrior, barely an adult, poured the liquor into a hidden white porcelain cup and downed it in one go.
“Kuh… That’s strong.”
Thirty-Two’s face flushed crimson instantly. He had swallowed 43-proof liquor in a single gulp. Grinning foolishly, he muttered,
“Now this is liquor…”
“My turn.”
Sixteen, standing beside him, cheerfully tossed back a cup of the wine. A faintly sweet yet potent medicinal fragrance spread through his mouth, and his face turned apple-red.
“If I could drink this every day, I’d have no regrets…”
At his words, Thirty-Two chuckled.
“I used to think all liquor tasted bad, but it turns out it was just the stuff from Xinjiang that was garbage.”
“Our cheap swill was the garbage.”
“Pass the cup already!”
After the ten men each took a turn, they rose with flushed faces.
“Thanks to Thirty-Two, we get to live it up one last time.”
“Come on, let’s move before the order comes down.”
Staggering slightly, they began preparing to set sail as they always had.
Before long the folded sail unfurled and the boat began gliding forward.
“Refreshing~”
“So, what’s the plan, Sixteen?”
“We ram them.”
“What?”
“We just crash straight in. Then we let them taste the Thunder Bombs.”
A reckless plan if ever there was one.
Yet none of the ten detachment members raised an objection.
“Yeah. If we’re going, let’s go out in style.”
“This’ll be one hell of a coming-of-age ceremony.”
Everyone snickered and turned their eyes toward Hainan Island.
“If even one of us survives, let’s buy expensive liquor and pour it into the sea. Don’t drink it alone.”
The men who had been raised their entire lives as blades meant to strike the Hainan Sect nodded silently.