Chapter 106 - The Unexpected Retreat
Bang! Bang!
Jang Cheon started chugging liquor in broad daylight. The throne that had seemed all but within his grasp had vanished like a puff of smoke. And with his grandfather Jang Un's death on top of that, the shock hit him like the sky itself crashing down.
But what stunned him even more was the attitude of the Jecheon Army, whom he'd considered his own limbs. When he saw his grandfather's headless corpse in its gruesome state, Jang Cheon had wanted to lead the Jecheon Army straight into the Iron Blood Family and crush them. Yet the army's leadership refused.
Under the pretext of needing to assess the situation more carefully, they rejected mobilizing the troops. And at the center of it all was Chu Yun Gwang.
He was the very middle-aged man who had rushed to Jang Cheon's aid when he'd fired the signal flare while fleeing from Yeon-hoo.
"Chu Yun Gwang, that bastard..."
The reason Jang Cheon was drowning himself in liquor now was because he'd just had a heated argument with Chu Yun Gwang.
If I hadn't lost my close aides in the battle at the Iron Blood Family...
For Jang Cheon, the fact that he'd lost most of his trusted retainers in that fight felt like a bitter pill. In truth, within the Jecheon Army, he held no real vested rights as the Jang Family head or Jang Un's grandson—he was practically isolated, with no support.
"Bring more liquor."
Crack! The liquor bottle shattered, fragments scattering under the table. Despite downing several bottles of the potent fire wine, Jang Cheon's voice remained chillingly cold.
At the sound of his voice, a man entered the tent. He was a burly man in his mid-thirties, and the look in his eyes as he regarded Jang Cheon was far from favorable.
"You've already had three bottles, my lord. It would be best to stop now."
"I told you to bring it—why so much talk? Are you mocking me too?!"
Glared at with eyes promising death if he didn't comply, the burly man bowed his head slightly.
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
A short while later, the man returned with liquor—but he wasn't alone. An unexpected figure entered with him.
"Father!"
It was Jang So, heir to the Jang Family. Jang Cheon, who hadn't anticipated his arrival, widened his eyes in surprise.
"What are you doing here?!"
"I was heading to the Iron Blood Family to aid you when I heard things had gone wrong, so I turned back. I spotted the camp on the way and was just coming in."
Jang So finished speaking and reddened around the eyes.
"I heard Great-grandfather passed. How on earth did this happen..."
"Sit down."
With Jang So's arrival, Jang Cheon regained his usual composure. But his eyes still flickered with enmity toward Yeon-hoo and fury at Chu Yun Gwang.
Chugging straight from the bottle, Jang Cheon stared at his son and continued.
"No need to worry. We'll regroup soon and strike the Iron Blood Family."
The burly man who'd brought the liquor interjected.
"Yun Hoe's Northern Legion has already arrived at the Iron Blood Family. Also, the forces led by the Blood King have vanished somewhere—likely ambushing the routes to the Iron Blood Family."
"You, out."
"I spoke out of concern that you might make a rash decision, so please don't misconstrue it. I'll take my leave."
The man bowed and withdrew. Jang Cheon closed his eyes tightly to calm his boiling rage.
"Did you see? The insolent way they treat their lord."
"They're just worried about you, Father. Let it go in one ear and out the other."
For an instant, Jang Cheon's eyes sharpened viciously. But unable to vent at Jang So, he lifted the bottle to his lips again.
Bang! Bang!
"No issues at the family estate?"
"None, Father. But everyone's deeply concerned. Tomorrow, word will spread that they've handed over the lord's seat... I'm worried it might cause unrest. And with the Northern Legion here, isn't the situation grave? I heard Ma Ui Tae's Southern Defense Army has sided with that Yeon-hoo too..."
"How do you know that?"
"Ah... On my way to the tent, I ran into an acquaintance and heard about the situation."
Jang Cheon suddenly felt something off about Jang So. But he dismissed it as his nerves being overly frayed and pressed on.
"It's dangerous here. Return to the estate at once and safeguard the family. He might send a small force to strike, so prepare thoroughly."
"I'll stay and help you, Father. The elders are at the estate. Please allow it."
"Absolutely not. Full-scale war is coming—things will happen you can't even imagine. Where do you think you're staying?"
Mid-sentence, Jang Cheon pinched the bridge of his nose. A sudden dizziness washed over him.
"Father, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Too much stress—must be vertigo. Anyway, I said no."
"Even if you say no, I'm staying."
"You..."
Jang Cheon pinched his nose again. This time, the dizziness intensified, the world spinning around him.
"I can no longer entrust the family's century-long enterprise to you, Father. From now on, leave everything to me and rest easy."
"...What?"
Jang Cheon doubted his eyes. The look in Jang So's eyes was utterly unlike his usual self.
In that moment, he realized something was wrong. His hand slashed through the air, and blood sprayed from the burly man's chest where he stood by the tent wall.
Thud!
"Gah!"
"Daring to poison my liquor..."
Flames flickered in Jang Cheon's eyes as they fixed on Jang So's face.
"You... you..."
"Yes, I ordered it."
"You filthy traitor!"
Jang Cheon's sword aura flared with bloody radiance. But his body swayed, and he collapsed limply into his chair.
Jang So remained seated throughout, speaking calmly.
"I wanted to help you achieve your dream, Father. I even swore to serve you with my life as your son and vassal once you claimed the throne. But you kept disappointing me. For the greater cause, one must be willing to bloody their hands—yet you hesitated, saying ascending without absolute support would be like building on sand. That allowed a mere bastard like Yi Yeon-hoo to grow this strong. Your two concessions gave him the foundation."
"How could you do this to your own father..."
Drip. Blood trickled from Jang Cheon's mouth.
Jang So's eyes reddened as he watched.
"I still love you, Father. You were everything to me. But the family's great undertaking outweighs father-son bonds. For it, I'd sell my soul to the devil."
"When... when did you harbor this filial impiety in your heart?"
"When you chose to yield to him a second time. I had Elder Eom Tak report falsely through the Elder Council Leader that they planned to use their authority to place Yi Yeon-hoo on the lord's seat. If you'd succeeded in the uprising... this never would have happened. I'd have abandoned my ambitions and followed you."
Drip. Blackened, necrotic blood poured from Jang Cheon's mouth, mingled with pulverized organ fragments.
"Son... you fool... you'll never be his match..."
Thump! Jang Cheon's head slumped onto the table. His body shuddered once, then went still.
Jang So's eyes grew even more bloodshot.
"Yes. I'm no match for him. But in the end, I will be the victor."
At that moment, someone entered the tent. It was Chu Yun Gwang. He glanced indifferently at Jang Cheon's lifeless form slumped over the table, then placed a hand on Jang So's shoulder.
Jang So kept his eyes closed, silent. Feeling the faint tremor through his hand, Chu Yun Gwang spoke gravely.
"It's the path for the greater cause. A true lord can't show pain when it hurts or tears when his heart breaks—he must smile before others."
"These tears are my last."
"Steel your heart. From now on, remember our foe isn't Yi Yeon-hoo, but Northwest's lord, Wi Yeon Gwang. One slip, and it's not exile—it's the road to the afterlife."
"I'll keep it in mind, deeply. Prepare to withdraw the troops."
"The drums will signal an immediate march northwest. Compose yourself first, young master. Wi Yeon Gwang isn't one to grant exile lightly—you'll need to watch every glance, expression, even word in your talks."
"Exile is just a means to weather this crisis. In the end, Northwest Murim and Wi Yeon Gwang will become blades for our cause. I, Jang So, will make it so."
Jang So stepped out of the tent. The forces sent to block the Southern Defense Army were returning. He'd already issued the retreat order.
Thud thud thud! Gazing at the Jecheon Army blackening the plains, Jang So bit his lip.
Wi Yeon Gwang won't refuse this army either.
Jang So, who had committed patricide under the banner of the greater cause, chose not all-out war with the Iron Blood Family, but exile to Northwest Murim.
Chu Yun Gwang muttered, furrowing his brow.
"With the Jecheon Army still intact like this... I'm not sure exile is the right choice."
"The tide has already slipped from our hands. Exile is accepted only when we offer something. To Wi Yeon Gwang, burning for revenge against Yi Yeon-hoo, the Jecheon Army is an irresistible bargaining chip."
With resolute tone, Jang So cast his gaze to the northern sky.
I'll leave like this for now, but when I return, the north's history will be rewritten by me, Jang So.
* * *
The Jecheon Army is retreating.
Yeon-hoo furrowed his brow at the report flying in from Seobaek.
Retreating after coming this far?
"What's it say?"
Yeon-hoo handed the report to Sin Hwi. Reading it, Sin Hwi frowned and asked.
"If the Jecheon Army's still intact and they're retreating, could something have happened internally?"
"I don't care about their circumstances."
Yeon-hoo shot to his feet.
"Planning to pursue?"
"Can't let them go nicely. Take just the Blood King Army and chase their rear."
"Well, if that's your will, so be it. Their massive army means poor mobility—we'll catch up before dawn tomorrow with the Blood King Army."
Sin Hwi grinned confidently. He prided his Blood King Army's mobility as the world's best, and it was no exaggeration.
Stepping outside, Yeon-hoo ordered Yun Hoe to prepare to meet Ma Ui Tae's Southern Defense Army, then departed the Iron Blood Family with Sin Hwi.
Baek Mu Yeong and Songyeong, who had barely been injured, came along. Cheol-u insisted on joining too, but Yeon-hoo refused. This time, even Dongbang Ri had to stay at the Iron Blood Family—again, by Yeon-hoo's order.