The Scent of Rebellion (5)
“Hmm.”
Yang Cheon set his cup down with an indifferent expression.
“It tastes flat.”
It was the same wine he drank often. Yet today, it did not suit his palate at all.
Truthfully, the wine had been losing its flavor for some time now. He could not pinpoint exactly when it began, but lately the taste had grown especially dull.
And Yang Cheon knew the reason.
Swish.
After sliding the cup to the center of the table, Yang Cheon folded his arms and gazed out the window.
Bu Seon, who had been sipping her wine cautiously across from him, spoke up.
“Shall I clear the table?”
Yang Cheon shook his head.
“Leave it. You drink more.”
“Ah, I…”
“It is wine steeped with spirit herbs. Excessive drinking is unwise, but one bottle will do no harm.”
“……Yes.”
Bu Seon filled her cup with an awkward expression.
Yang Cheon’s eyes grew hazy.
“By now, Deputy Yeon and the Iron Cavalry Commander must be hard at work.”
Bu Seon, who had been about to lift her cup, clasped her hands together respectfully instead.
“Master.”
“Hm?”
“There is something I wish to ask.”
Normally, Bu Seon would never voice her curiosity so readily.
Yang Cheon smiled.
“What has you so curious?”
Bu Seon spoke carefully.
“Before heading to the Dark Emperor, Deputy Yeon and his party said they would resolve the Tang family’s problems first, did they not?”
“They did.”
“Setting aside the political ramifications, will that small force truly suffice?”
“Hm?”
“Well……”
Bu Seon cleared her throat.
“Deputy Yeon’s martial arts are truly formidable. The Iron Cavalry Commander who accompanied him is likewise powerful, and Kang Liang stands on the verge of the Limitless realm. With several experts from the Martial Alliance also providing support, they are certainly strong enough to overwhelm most mid- to small-sized sects.”
Yang Cheon nodded.
“You are asking whether that force can achieve their goal against the Tang family of the Central Plains, correct?”
“Yes. The Sichuan Tang family, much as I hate to admit it, is regarded as the most dangerous clan in the Central Plains. To resolve their internal strife with only that level of manpower……”
Bu Seon trailed off.
Yang Cheon folded his arms.
What he needed to pass on to his successor was not merely martial skill. He must also teach her how to view the world and how to survive in the tangled web of politics.
And, of course, strategy and tactics as well.
Though when it came to matters involving Yeon Hojeong, there was rarely any need to discuss strategy at all.
“First, there is one thing you are mistaken about.”
“Yes?”
“Deputy Yeon is not traveling with a small force because he lacks the ability to gather more men. He is traveling light because gathering a large army would be the wrong move.”
Bu Seon’s eyes widened.
“Indeed. The Tang family is currently harboring agents connected to the Three Sects. We do not know their exact numbers, but if the goal is to suppress them all at once, more troops would certainly be better.”
“Precisely.”
“However, this would be a war without justification.”
“Pardon?”
Yang Cheon poured wine into his empty cup.
“As I said, there are those within the Tang family tied to the Three Sects. Given that even the family head’s son has been taught the Death Absorption Art from beyond the borders, it is highly likely that a considerable number of people are involved with them.”
If Dang Yang-seon had truly been a genius, the situation might have been different.
But he was not. He possessed talent, yet the world was full of others with equal or greater ability.
Moreover, considering the reports of his personality, the Three Sects would have had no reason to invest heavily in him from the start.
“In other words, the Tang family is currently unable to display the overwhelming might that once earned them the title of Sichuan’s kings. To use the imperial palace as an analogy, it is as though the imperial relatives are running rampant in the emperor’s absence.”
“……!”
“If we were to recklessly gather a large army and strike under such circumstances, what do you think would happen?”
“Ah……”
“Many would die. Even if we were to frame those deaths as meaningful and accept them, mobilizing a large force is still out of the question. It is a matter of justification.”
“Justification……”
“Even we of the unorthodox path are not entirely free from the need for justification. Why do mountain stronghold leaders act with such cruelty? Because they must constantly remind others of their authority and dignity.”
Yang Cheon emptied his cup.
The wine still tasted flat.
“The orthodox path is even more bound by it. Especially the Tang family—they ruled Sichuan while standing between the great sects of Qingcheng and Emei. If such a place were surrounded by a massive army and its internal conflict resolved by force, how would people view the Tang family afterward?”
Bu Seon sighed.
“They would no longer fear them.”
“Wealth and information are not the entirety of rule. An organization that acts as a regional hegemon requires a corresponding level of formidable dignity.”
Yang Cheon smiled.
“Furthermore, the Tang family is unique. The Tang clan wields poison and hidden weapons—two tools the world despises—yet they seized hegemony over Sichuan. If such a family were to fall even once, the people of Sichuan would never trust the Tang name again.”
More precisely, they would question whether the Tang family could still serve as Sichuan’s protective wall.
The reason the people of Sichuan both feared and respected the Tang family was because they never crossed a certain line.
That line was clear. Even when members of the Tang clan caused trouble, the family as a whole had always worked to enrich the lives of Sichuan’s people.
And when such incidents reached the family’s ears, they would do everything in their power to resolve them.
Kindness repaid twofold, grudges repaid tenfold.
Their principles were unwavering, and that was why people both feared and followed them.
“Of course, I understand that part as well. In my opinion, even if the Tang bloodline were embroiled in internal strife, the people of Sichuan would likely remain indifferent so long as it caused them no great harm.”
“You see correctly. That has always been the case, and it remains so now.”
“The problem is whether they alone can resolve the Tang family’s conflict. The Tang family head entered the Martial Alliance without bringing any troops. If one of the blood relatives has seized real power……”
“That is why Deputy Yeon went.”
“Pardon?”
Yang Cheon grumbled.
“I told him to leave it to them, yet he insisted on going anyway.”
“……?”
“It will be dangerous, but that force should be more than enough to handle it. Of course they are risking their lives, but they have their own confidence as well.”
Bu Seon’s expression grew awkward.
“In the end, it comes down to Deputy Yeon’s ability.”
“Whether something is possible or impossible, no one can truly know. Even Deputy Yeon, who has succeeded thus far, can make mistakes. In the martial world, mistakes often lead to mortal danger.”
“Then……”
“Let me ask you something. Do you think Deputy Yeon is strong?”
“Excuse me?”
What kind of question was that?
Bu Seon nodded with a bewildered look.
“Yes. There are not many experts in the world who can match Deputy Yeon.”
“Then why do you think he is strong? Because his martial arts are powerful? Is that truly all there is to it?”
“……?!”
“As you said, there are not many who can match Deputy Yeon. Not many, but not none. In fact, if you look hard enough, you can find those stronger than him.”
“Master, what are you……”
“Think back on everything he has accomplished.”
Yang Cheon spun his cup idly. It did not seem like a particularly meaningful gesture.
“After entering the martial world, he destroyed the Nine Provinces Noble Families right from the start. And how did he do it? Did he march in openly and take the family head’s head?”
“……No.”
“Exactly. He had one unit from the Yeon family, but that force was insignificant compared to the Noble Family’s strength.”
“……”
“Without anyone noticing, he secured aid from the Beggars’ Union and the Moyong family. Not only did he borrow their power, he even orchestrated a full assembly of the Martial Alliance through them.”
Bu Seon’s eyes trembled.
“And that is not all. Upon arriving at the Martial Alliance, he became the commander of the Myeolsa Army. He thoroughly outmaneuvered the Moyong family head, whose political acumen was second to none. Did it end there? No. He transformed a group of rookies with no real combat experience into elite soldiers in less than a year.”
“……”
“After that, he crushed the Corridor Corps and brought the Western Regions Divine Maiden here as the head of the Medical Pavilion. Along the way, he defeated the Three Sects’ forces, reclaimed Guangdong’s martial world from enemy hands, and was even dispatched to the main headquarters as the Martial Alliance’s representative.”
“……”
“And just recently, he brought the White-Faced Divine Lord with him. The White-Faced Divine Lord, one of the Holy Thirteen Seats.”
Listing it all out like this was enough to send chills down one’s spine.
Bu Seon could not help but feel awe at the fact that a single man had succeeded in so many endeavors. Hearing about each achievement separately had not moved her much, but seeing them strung together made it clear that Yeon Hojeong’s true strength lay not in his martial arts.
Yang Cheon’s eyes narrowed.
“He is a conqueror.”
“……A conqueror.”
“Yes, a conqueror. And a fully realized one at that.”
“……!”
“Martial prowess? It is a great advantage. He could rightly be called a once-in-a-century genius. But when you look at the missions he has actually completed, his martial arts were merely one of many tools at his disposal.”
Bu Seon swallowed unconsciously.
“When a fight can be won with force, he wins with force. When it cannot, he wins with justification. When justification is insufficient, he wins with cunning schemes.”
“……”
“And when even schemes fall short, he wins with the raw charm of his humanity.”
Yang Cheon refilled his cup.
“He is a man who shakes the world. His abilities are extraordinary, but his very existence is that of a giant who can alter the fate of an era.”
“……”
“And among the Holy Thirteen Seats, there are only a handful of giants who can demonstrate such power.”
It was a terrifyingly high evaluation.
She had heard him called a martial genius and a strategic prodigy many times, but she had never expected her master to describe him as a giant who moved the times.
“I do not know how he will navigate the Tang family crisis. What is certain, however, is that even if he fails, most of the Tang family members who sided with the Three Sects will soon vanish from this world. And in that place……”
Yang Cheon’s eyes flashed.
“He will come to realize exactly what position he now occupies.”
* * *
“……You want to go in like that?”
“Yes.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Isn’t charging the Tang family with this force already insane?”
“Of course it is.”
“What’s even more ridiculous is that we don’t even know how many people inside the Tang family are connected to the Three Sects. We’re operating under the assumption that they all are.”
“……”
“In that case, we absolutely cannot take any detours. We cannot handle this in secret either.”
“But isn’t this far too reckless?”
“If we try to strike from behind half-heartedly, we’ll be wiped out instead.”
“……”
“Fighting on the enemy’s battlefield is foolish. So we have no choice but to turn this place into our battlefield.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“Since we cannot win with force, let us secure justification first.”