Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Burning the Granaries
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Once the decision was made, their movements were swift. The Five Harmony Alliance warriors unleashed their lightness skills, skimming across the rooftops like swallows gliding on outstretched wings.
The Huangbo Clan, thrown into chaos, was slow to respond. By the time the scout they sent to assess the situation reached the north gate, Yuk Jin-yang's group had already arrived at the granary.
"Heh, what an enormous scale."
Yi Jeong-baek let out a hollow laugh in astonishment.
The granary was vast enough to rival a palace. More impressive than its three-story height was the sheer width, large enough to hold hundreds of people with room to spare.
"Let's go in."
Yuk Jin-yang swung the Silver Dew Sword in his hand. The locked granary door's bolt snapped in two with a single stroke.
Kkiiik—.
With the sound of metal scraping against the dirt floor, the doors swung wide open. The sight before them left the entire group speechless.
Inside, mountains of rice sacks towered high. The granary was so packed with military rations that there wasn't even space to set foot. Yi Jeong-baek, dazedly taking in the scale, muttered.
"Mad bastards."
The others shared his sentiment. Everyone was stunned beyond words.
"I figured there'd be a lot to feed the imperial army, but... this is excessive."
"This isn't just stockpiling provisions."
"With this much, even mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops, they'd have no worries about starving on the march."
"The Huangbo Clan bastards probably used military rations as an excuse to plunder the people outright. Filling their own pockets while they were at it."
Speculation flew back and forth. But inwardly, Yuk Jin-yang rejected their assumptions.
There were limits to personal greed. Especially in wartime. To harvest this much grain, they'd need to split forces everywhere—a far too risky gamble for mere avarice.
If the Huangbo Clan's leadership were that foolish, they never would have risen to their current position. It was more accurate to say the emperor had deliberately signaled his intent to advance north.
Yi Jeong-baek asked.
"What do you think, Great Hero?"
"The imperial army probably planned to head straight to North China via Mount Tai from the passes. They're preparing a massive force to match this scale of provisions."
"I agree."
Yi Jeong-baek nodded in strong approval.
Mount Tai's position was ideal—smack in the middle between Hebei and Zhili Provinces, hugging the sea for easy deployment of large fleets. Any strategist worth their salt would exploit such terrain.
"Assuming resupply from Jinan, they'd have stripped down to the bare essentials from the start for maximum mobility. That way, hundreds of thousands could reach the front lines in one go."
The starving soldiers could fill their bellies in Jinan.
It seemed like a superficial ploy, but it wasn't. Mobility was the foundation of strategy.
If they could position troops in Mount Tai ahead of Prince Yan's forces, they'd hold the key point and await the enemy. They could even load up the navy to strike at Prince Yan's base directly.
"So we've thwarted that plan?"
"If my assumption is correct."
"Heh, we've gone and claimed a major accomplishment without meaning to."
Yi Jeong-baek murmured. Yuk Jin-yang agreed. Unintentionally, they might have just saved Prince Yan from crisis.
"Anyway, time to get to work."
The group pulled out the incendiary packets they'd prepared, lit them, and tossed them inside in unison. The released embers caught the rice sacks like kindling and blazed fiercely.
Roar!
The group hurriedly retreated from the dizzying heat. Thick black smoke billowed up, filling the space densely.
"It's like a beacon fire. The smoke's visible from a hundred li away."
"Good thing. Ending it this easily feels anticlimactic."
"Enough chatter. Now we head to support the south gate."
Yi Jeong-baek frowned as he spoke. Beside him, Yuk Jin-yang had already turned around.
His words proved prophetic.
The presence of a massive force bore down on them, accompanied by earth-shaking footsteps. The sounds grew closer until dozens of warriors filled the alley mouth.
The eyes of the old man at the lead twitched menacingly. The sudden surge of killing intent pricked their skin like pine needles.
"Charge!"
"Kill them!"
Both sides rushed at each other ferociously. No formal declarations or greetings—just pure, unbridled combat, casting aside all courtesy and decorum.
Boom!
Overlapping clashes of metal rang out in fierce resonance. Scattered energy waves battered their ears. The humming vibrations seemed to upend their minds. Their auras clashed like tidal waves.
Soon, the two groups tangled. It was as desperate and brutal as beasts fighting over territory.
Pang! Kwadruk!
Unrestrained punches and weapon arcs intertwined without mercy. In the intense collisions, several fell dead or wounded in moments. Metal greedily devoured flesh and blood.
Neither side wanted a prolonged fight. They unleashed techniques without reservation, tipping the scales swiftly.
The Five Harmony Alliance held the advantage.
Yuk Jin-yang darted through the Huangbo warriors' formation like a nimble tiger. He cleaved down every blocker in his path, loosening the formation's seams. The Alliance warriors exploited the gaps.
"You fools dare rampage without fearing the heavens!"
A shout drew eyes. The Huangbo elder, surrounded by several foes, was fighting desperately. He was the one who'd commanded from the front.
—Great Hero Yuk! That's Huangbo Lun, leader of the Huangbo Clan's Elder Council.
Yi Jeong-baek's transmission reached his ear. Yuk Jin-yang slew his opponent with one stroke and steadied his stance.
'Can't let him live, then.'
Decapitating the Elder Council leader would shatter their morale. Without hesitation, Yuk Jin-yang stepped forward.
'Moon Stream Subtle Steps.'
Following the incantation, he circulated energy and moved. His robes billowed wildly from the erupting aura. As he lunged, rippling waves of colorless energy propelled him forward.
Flash!
A streak of light hurtled toward Huangbo Lun. No time to sense the momentum.
"What...!"
The strike closing in already brimmed with immense power, evoking a massive tsunami.
But the sword path was simple—an overhead chop. Huangbo Lun easily crossed his arms to block. Silver Dew Sword met gauntlets.
Craaang!
The gale-force backlash whipped their hair.
Yuk Jin-yang swung his empty left arm, tracing a circle in the air. The fluid motion absorbed the collision's recoil while gathering the scattered energy fragments.
'Dragon Horse Dance.'
He thrust his arm, detonating the compressed energy wave. It was a technique from the Ten Thousand Rivers Single Source Art.
Thud!
The blast hammered Huangbo Lun's chest. He couldn't even scream. His small frame tumbled through the dust cloud, crashing brutally to the ground.
Huangbo Lun's arms went limp. Instant death. His solar plexus caved in, tongue lolling in a gruesome sight.
Yuk Jin-yang swung Silver Dew Sword, severing the old warrior's head. All eyes fixed on him. An oppressive presence unbelievable for a youth crushed them.
Yuk Jin-yang slowly opened his mouth.
"Your Elder Council leader is dead. Will you keep fighting?"
"...!"
No answer came. Instead, most sheathed their weapons and surrendered.
Some tried to flee or fight on, but their hopes shattered. A new group blocked their path from the opposite side.
Familiar faces among them—the Five Harmony Alliance warriors and Taishan Sect Taoists who'd assaulted the north gate.
Some Huangbo warriors flinched upon recognizing Yuk Ryul.
"S-Soaring Wave Sword?"
Others cursed the Taishan Sect.
"You shameless Taishan Sect scum! How dare self-proclaimed Taoists meddle in worldly affairs!"
"Long tongue."
Yuk Ryul snorted and decapitated the loudmouth. His merciless hand froze the enemies.
A massacre unfolded in Jinan's marketplace.
Corpses littered the streets, blood soaking the dirt. To make matters worse, starving crows drawn by the scent swarmed in, cawing mournfully as they feasted on the fallen.
The Five Harmony Alliance warriors and Taishan Sect Taoists focused on cleanup.
They worked together to haul and bury the bodies. Partly to prevent disease, but more to show Jinan's people their aim wasn't conquest.
"Primeval Peace Charm."
"May you reach the Peach Blossom Paradise in the next life."
The Taishan Taoists' faces were somber, tinged with guilt. Some chanted incantations and paid respects to the dead.
In contrast, the Alliance warriors were impassive, openly showing their fatigue. Unlike the Taoists, bloodshed was routine for them.
Just then, a problem arose for them to handle.
"Let, let me go! I'm the provincial branch manager of Shandong Province. I'm not someone you can treat like this!"
A racket shattered the silence. A man was dragged out by the hair like a beast. His silk official robes, symbols of high status, were torn and dirtied, looking wretched.
The warriors unceremoniously dumped the branch manager on the ground. Cold stares pierced down at him. Under the menacing aura, the once-upright man's neck shrank.
Recognizing Yuk Ryul, the branch manager's eyes bulged.
"Soaring Wave Sword! I heard you were a righteous wanderer. Why do you persecute me like this?!"
"Listen, Branch Manager."
Yuk Ryul lowered his voice ominously.
"The Huangbo Clan has been wiped out. Sure, the patriarch might survive, but with all direct bloodline dead, can the clan endure?"
"...!"
"Does this look like mere江湖 business to you? I figured you'd have the sense."
It was blatant intimidation.