Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: The Linked Ring Stratagem
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He had been replaying the recent battle in his mind.
"Why are you spacing out like that?"
Won Young's question, accompanied by a light tap on his shoulder, snapped him out of his thoughts. She was giving him a puzzled look. Yuk Jin-yang shook his head and asked,
"What did you say?"
"Let's head outside. Those assassins might not have been the only intruders."
Won Young's prediction proved spot on.
The alliance members weren't the only ones attacked by the assassins. Similar incidents had broken out all over the Gu Yang Garrison. Fortunately, the damage was minimal—just a few buildings burned and some minor injuries.
The garrison troops hadn't repelled the assassins with any particular skill. The situation in Gu Yang was simply worse than the alliance had anticipated.
Using the excuse of investigating the incident's scale, the group requested an audience. As they headed to King Chu's residence, the inspections were far less stringent than before. It seemed manpower was short due to the cleanup efforts.
But that assumption was quickly proven wrong. Instead of being led to the office, they were directed to a tent outside.
"Sit."
King Chu, fully armored and seated on a folding stool, spoke. Flanking him were rows of generals. It felt just like a war council.
All eyes turned to the group. The atmosphere was intensely solemn. A rigid, razor-sharp aura filled the tent like steel, spilling outward unchecked like a north wind. They maintained a heavy silence, wrapped in their armored ki, clearly intent on suppressing the visitors' momentum.
King Chu raised his arm.
"Ease up, all of you. These aren't imperial envoys."
The general standing at his immediate right—the position for his closest aide—startled and asked,
"They were impersonating envoys?"
"How could seizing authority on the battlefield be wrong? These guests risked everything to come here from the alliance. Mind your attitudes."
Only after he mentioned the alliance did the generals' pressure relent. Some even shot sympathetic glances, as if acknowledging their lord's words. They seemed well aware of recent events.
Yuk Jin-yang asked,
"Why are you camping outside instead of in the office?"
"Assassins hit my quarters last night too. Fighting them off while activating the traps half-collapsed the building."
Yuk Jin-yang recalled what his superior had told him.
King Chu's own martial prowess wasn't particularly high. He was a scholar of military strategy, not combat.
Born with strong bones, but without effort, grasping the profound truths of martial arts would have been difficult. That must be why he'd relied on pre-set traps against the assassins.
Yet despite the grave danger, his demeanor remained utterly composed. He had the bearing of a natural leader.
King Chu continued,
"On top of that, I can no longer trust the garrison officials. Better to endure the hardship than stay in buildings under their control."
"Are they involved in this incident somehow?"
"Likely. We'd prepared every defense, but some traps were disabled. Either they opened the gates from inside, or they'd been leaking info for a while. One or the other."
A subtle anger laced his grave tone.
'Does he have proof?'
The assassins alone didn't prove betrayal. Top assassins were experts at dismantling traps. But King Chu's attitude suggested certainty.
He just wasn't sharing. He must have secured evidence already.
"Could the entire Gu Yang Garrison... be aiding the Ghost Sword Society?"
"Not that far. Most are loyal to the court. Just a few corrupt officials crossed the line."
Fortunately, it was limited deviance. Things wouldn't get too complicated.
With a wave of his hand, King Chu deftly changed the subject.
"Last time, you advised me on two stratagems: the Feigned Retreat from the East, and the Linked Rings."
"Yes."
"Explain in detail. How exactly do we use the Linked Rings?"
Yuk Jin-yang hesitated, glancing around before speaking. King Chu chuckled and leaned back comfortably.
"Don't worry. These are my right and left hands. No need to fear leaks."
"......Soon, two ships will enter Gu Yang Harbor. One will be a pleasure barge—grand enough to suit a king's dignity to the ignorant eye."
"Using a body double, then?"
"Exactly."
Yuk Jin-yang nodded. Beside him, Won Young shot him a meaningful look. She looked like she had plenty to say but was holding back.
King Chu grasped the plan's essence from the brief words.
"A king's ship appears, drawing eyes from both garrison troops and the Ghost Sword Society. Fine—we put the double on it. But how does the main force escape from here?"
"It's not an escape."
All eyes focused on Yuk Jin-yang's calm denial. They could guess what came next. Without escape, only one option remained.
"When all attention is on the ship, and the two tigers are distracted by the bait and caught in the trap—charge with the full army and crush them in one stroke."
"Your Highness, that's too dangerous."
Immediate opposition arose. A faint crease formed on King Chu's brow. The speaking general pressed on.
"We must watch not just the Ghost Sword Society, but the court-recruited officials and troops. Their eyes and ears are everywhere. We need to account for the feint failing."
"I see. What do you think?"
Rather than counter, King Chu tossed it to Yuk Jin-yang. It felt like giving him a chance to build credibility by convincing them himself.
"That's why we use the double. If you'll allow it, I'll take that role."
The riskiest mission meant the greatest merit. It would boost his fame and indebt King Chu to him.
Support from a martial hero, renowned recluse, or powerful figure directly impacted clan rivalries. Worth the danger.
"Your resolve is admirable, but the issue is troop allocation."
The general switched to informal speech.
"To fool the enemy, the double needs heavy escorts. Then troops to encircle them—and that leaves fewer to guard Your Highness."
"If Your Highness stays with the center—not far from the front—there's no issue."
"We must guard against the Ghost Sword Society too. Assassins aren't feared just for high skill. It's their vicious precision in striking weak points."
As debate dragged on, King Chu cut in curtly.
"Enough prattle. Are we just to sit here and wither away?"
"I'm not saying the Linked Rings is wrong. While we engage the enemy, Your Highness—escape with a small escort."
"Abandon you and the people here? I won't."
King Chu scowled and flicked his sleeve. His displeasure was plain. Undeterred by his lord's ire, the general urged again.
"Your Highness, see the big picture. King Goujian of Yue endured slavery for future revenge. Sometimes sacrifice is needed."
"And after succeeding, Goujian purged his ministers, fearing they'd gossip about his humiliation."
King Chu's calm rebuttal brought silence. He continued softly.
"One who loses the greater cause to petty emotions ends pathetically. The army exists to protect the people and follow Heaven's mandate. That's our cause."
"......"
"If we abandon the people for personal safety—is that the greater cause?"
King Chu rebuked sternly. The persistent general finally bowed. The others saluted in unison.
"Never."
"We follow Your Highness's will."
Two days later, at dawn, two ships appeared from the north.
"......Is the situation really that bad?"
Yu Baek responded tepidly. Dragged straight from the docks to the inn, he'd heard the full story.
"No wonder the soldiers at the harbor eyed our ship so hungrily. I thought they were just relieved supplies had arrived."
"Yeah."
"So, who's playing the king's double?"
Won Young, frowning, glanced sideways at Yuk Jin-yang. Her edge had been sharp since two days ago. Yu Baek caught on quick and probed gently.
"Why are you so upset?"
"Because the brat's charging in, clueless about how terrifying the assassin leader is."
"But didn't you say assassins are third-rate cowards if you face them head-on...?"
"Yu Baek, you've gotten bold lately, huh?"
"I've always been taller than you, senior."
Yuk Jin-yang silently endured Won Young's scolding.
The countermeasures were ready. Assuming the Ghost Sword Society leader was who he thought.
'Later, he wasn't called Ghost Sword Lord, but something else. Ghost Killer Old Man, was it?'
Martial arts don't lie, even if names change. Back then, the Ghost Killer Old Man's history was infamous. Long disbanded, but once leader of a massive assassin sect.
'Time faded the Ghost Sword Society name.'
Countless names rose and fell in the jianghu. No surprise if the society vanished, forgotten decades later.
In his past life, Yuk Jin-yang had devised counters to his techniques.
Thanks to Yuk Ju-jin.
Back then, conflict brewed with the Ghost Sword Lord over payment. He'd killed a bothersome official but refused full pay.
Assassins raided the Yuk Clan Great Compound repeatedly, so Yuk Ju-jin gathered clan and guests to find a counter.
Unimaginable now. By then, the Zhejiang Yuk Clan had declined sharply.
'In the end, countless subordinates sacrificed to create the counter.'
Yuk Jin-yang bitterly smiled inwardly, recalling his days as White Moon Division Leader Jang Un.
He'd mastered piercing all Ghost Sword techniques but failed to kill him. The skill gap was too vast.
Yuk Ju-jin could've slain him with the counter alone but spared him instead. Better leashed and useful than dead.
Now, things were different. Time to collect on those subordinates' blood debt.
Yuk Jin-yang toyed with the hilt of his Cerulean Blade in his embrace.