The Righteous Army's Sortie
The modest drinking party included only Yeon Hojeong, Moyong Woo, and Muk Bi.
Moyong Woo asked, “Where is the Jegal strategist?”
“The strategist is in the military affairs department.”
“No, I meant the strategist of the Myeolsa Army. Lady Jegal.”
“That’s what I said. She went to the military affairs department, saying she would help her father.”
“Is that so?”
“Things have been so hectic lately. The Myeolsa Army handles its own training, and she only drops by occasionally to check formations or review the strategies each unit has drawn up. She’ll join us when we deploy, of course.”
Moyong Woo spoke with envy. “I’ve always been jealous of that. The presence of a strategist.”
“You won’t have to be jealous anymore.”
“Will she become the unified strategist?”
“Of course.”
“……”
“Have you spoken to Lady Jegal about it?”
“Not yet. But she must have already sensed her own fate, don’t you think?”
Moyong Woo clicked his tongue. “You really are something.”
Yeon Hojeong raised his cup. “Enough of that. Shall we drink?”
“Sounds good.”
The three men clinked their cups and drank deeply.
Moyong Woo turned to Muk Bi. “Then what will become of you, Department Head Muk?”
Muk Bi shrugged. “I don’t know. The young master hasn’t told me anything separately yet.”
Both men looked at Yeon Hojeong.
Yeon Hojeong gave a small laugh. “The higher-ups told me to reorganize the personnel at my own discretion. So I’ve made my own plans.”
“What are they?”
“For the time being, the Uijeong Army will maintain its two-army system. So just continue as you have been. The Tangma Army will be under my brother’s command, and the Myeolsa Army under Muk Bi. Ah, and in the case of the Myeolsa Army, I may move with them depending on the situation.”
Moyong Woo’s expression darkened. “Of course, given how distinct each unit’s character is, it would be best to let them play to their strengths… but are you certain this is wise?”
“In truth, the Uijeong Army is no different from when we went to destroy the Hoerangdan. In other words, it’s a combined force of the Tangma and Myeolsa Armies. The only difference is that back then it was temporary, whereas now it will remain permanent until a separation order is issued.”
“That difference is precisely the problem.”
“I have no desire to force them together either. If the deployment date were far in the future, it might be different, but the higher-ups intend to send the Uijeong Army outside the Alliance soon.”
“Hmm.”
Seeing Moyong Woo’s expression, Yeon Hojeong asked casually, “You already knew?”
“Rather than knowing, I had something I wanted to discuss with you separately.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Moyong Woo relayed the conversation he had recently had with Moyong Gun.
Yeon Hojeong smiled. “The Black Dragon Department?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm.”
“It was the conclusion I reached after considering various factors. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you first.”
“Didn’t I say it before? Since each of us lives in a different environment, let’s each act according to our own judgment. There’s no need to apologize.”
“Thank you for saying that. That aside, what do you think?”
“The Black Dragon Department?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Hojeong nodded. “Not bad. In fact, it’s rather good.”
“I’m relieved.”
“The Martial Alliance has several intentions in deploying the Uijeong Army. One is to have us roll in the dirt together and grow closer quickly. Another is to send us out since, despite being the Righteous Army, we’ve been tied to the Alliance for most of our time. And…”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed. “It’s also to announce our existence to the world.”
“The existence of the Uijeong Army?”
“Yes. In terms of numbers, it’s only fifty more than the Tangma Army, so it’s nothing new, but what matters is the symbolism.”
“Symbolism…”
“Yes, symbolism.”
Yeon Hojeong looked up at the ceiling. “Since its founding, the Martial Alliance has been growing smoothly. That’s not just talk—it truly is growing well. But most people in the world still don’t know how powerful the Alliance truly is.”
“I think the same.”
“The Myeolsa Army and Tangma Army have made names for themselves in the jianghu several times, but that alone isn’t enough. From the beginning, there has never been a battle that the entire Central Plains could witness.”
“Didn’t the Myeolsa Army eliminate several Black Path factions? And every one of those groups the Myeolsa Army destroyed were true villains who sucked the marrow from the common people.”
“That’s right. Thanks to that, our reputation rose. But that’s all it did.”
“I don’t believe there is any greater merit than that. In this era when the empire has lost its strength and its ability to maintain order, the Myeolsa Army has punished evildoers with bold action. For the common people, scattered small evils cause more damage than a single great evil.”
“Do not seek to perform great good, but melt into the world and perform small goods. Yes, that’s a valid point. True chivalry is like Ki Woo-hee—performing good silently even when others don’t know. I think so too.”
“That’s why the Myeolsa Army is remarkable.”
“That’s why the Martial Alliance believes it’s still lacking.”
“……”
“What do you mean?”
Yeon Hojeong sighed. “For a massive organization like the Martial Alliance, distinguishing good from evil and performing chivalrous acts isn’t that important. No matter what, what moves the world is power and money. And those two things demand reputation as their price in the unreasonable world of the murim.”
“……”
“We’ll need a bigger, stronger, more certain reputation. That’s why they’re sending the Uijeong Army.”
Moyong Woo’s eyes deepened. “For the Martial Alliance’s reputation?”
“Yes. The Hoerangdan alone isn’t enough. The Three Sects? They’re the most dangerous enemy, but the world still doesn’t know about them. And mediocre Black Path factions are out of the question.”
Yeon Hojeong looked at Moyong Woo. “You told Moyong Gun that the Black Dragon Department must be dealt with? That proposal will likely be approved in some form before tomorrow passes. Why? Because what the Martial Alliance ultimately needs is reputation.”
“Such…!”
Moyong Woo had never considered it that far. His suggestion to Moyong Gun to clean up the Black Dragon Department had been because of the Sayeum Cult, not for reputation.
“I… thought the proposal wouldn’t pass easily. The reason being that the Black Dragon Department is a massive organization. If we’re not careful, it could lead to war.”
“It could.”
“What I said to my brother was to catch the Three Sects’ pawns. I never considered anything that dangerous.”
“I know. But this is a world that can produce a hundred interpretations from a single poem. Let alone the Martial Alliance—did you really think they would move according to your intentions?”
“……”
“At least regarding this matter, the probability they won’t is high.”
“How could this be…”
Moyong Woo couldn’t believe it. “Does that mean my proposal could ignite a war with the Black Path?”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head. “That’s a separate issue. The Alliance’s elders aren’t fools. Starting a war first in the current situation? That’s nonsense. They would never do anything so reckless.”
“Right?”
“However, since deploying the Uijeong Army is confirmed, they’ll try to make the best use of us. And it’s obvious that the Black Dragon Department is the best prey for us to demonstrate our presence.”
“……!!”
Moyong Woo’s face hardened. “As you said, the elders are all wise. Of course power and money are important to the organization, but that doesn’t mean they’ll recklessly provoke the Black Dragon Department.”
Yeon Hojeong nodded. “That’s why I said it would be approved ‘in some form.’ It doesn’t have to be attacking the Black Dragon Department directly. They might order us to strike illegal businesses or vicious sects connected to the Black Dragon Department.”
Yeon Hojeong gave a small laugh. “And regarding that, I personally infiltrated and gathered information. If approval comes, we’ll likely strike based on the information I brought back from the Black Dragon Department.”
“……”
Moyong Woo let out a long sigh. “The ways of the world truly don’t go as one wishes.”
“When has the world ever been convenient? Since it doesn’t go as we want, each of us rushes to create the world we desire.”
With a complicated expression, Moyong Woo looked down at his cup before refilling Yeon Hojeong’s and Muk Bi’s.
“In any case, this time we have no choice but to trust the higher-ups’ decision.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed. This time? Those words meant Moyong Woo had been harboring doubts about the higher-ups’ orders for some time. Hmm. Yeon Hojeong studied Moyong Woo’s eyes.
He looked confused and frustrated. He seemed worried, and a trace of anger toward this resentful world could also be glimpsed.
After quietly observing Moyong Woo’s face, Yeon Hojeong asked casually, “Feeling stifled?”
“I am.”
“Still, we have to fight. What choice do we have?”
“Don’t say that. The higher-ups’ orders are absolute, but at least in the righteous path there is a greater principle that takes precedence over orders.”
“What is that?”
“Chivalry.”
Moyong Woo’s eyes shone. “Sacrifice the few for the many? An organization can do that. But the righteous path cannot. Making everyone prosperous at the cost of making even one person unhappy? That’s absolutely unacceptable.”
“But that’s reality. Everyone shouts such words, yet in the end the world has never flowed according to ideals. Not for thousands of years.”
“Even so, we must pursue it. Because it is the right path. If we don’t pursue and strive for it simply because it isn’t realistic, how can we call ourselves the righteous path, and what will we teach future generations?”
Moyong Woo’s face twisted. “What if reputation is lacking? What if power and money are lacking? If it’s to let even one more person live like a human being, if it’s the right path, then we must pursue it.”
His face remained confused. Yet Moyong Woo’s voice did not waver.
Though he hid his true intentions and acted to set his family straight, that could never be a reason to diminish who Moyong Woo was.
Moyong Woo was originally this kind of person. He was someone who knew what values must never be abandoned even if the world collapsed. And he was someone prepared to stake his life for that conviction.
Yeon Hojeong spoke. “But we alone cannot change the survival principle that this long history has chosen.”
“That is not a survival principle. In the end, it was people who created that history!”
“Then change it yourself.”
“What…?”
“I’ll help you. Let’s tear apart and fix all the absurdities and unrighteous acts you’ve felt.”
Moyong Woo’s eyes shook violently.
Yeon Hojeong spoke calmly. “There are more evil people in the world than good ones. And there are ten thousand times more people who don’t even know whether what they do is good or evil than those who are either good or evil.”
“……”
“I don’t think I can reform all of them. I’m not in a position to, either. But if you think it’s stifling, if you want to create such a world, then I’ll gladly stake my life.”
“Hojeong.”
“Of course, we must still crush the Three Sects.”
The two men looked at each other in silence.
Yeon Hojeong smiled. “One drink should be enough. It seems you have a lot to think about, so let’s call it a night.”
“Hojeong.”
“I’ll come visit tomorrow, so buy me a meal. Muk Bi, let’s go.”
Yeon Hojeong rose from his seat and looked down at Moyong Woo, adding, “Remember this. We had to clash with the Shinwha Sect, but the real fight hasn’t even begun. Think carefully about how you should move and how you should live within it.”
“……”
“I’m going. See you tomorrow.”