Declaration of War
Declaration of war. Hmm. Captain Na Se-hyeong, that fucking bastard. I was starting to feel like a real office drone myself. The way curses at my boss just slipped out naturally.
"Yaaawn~" Lately, I'd been yawning lazily atop the walls by the main gate. It was an unavoidable reaction. Staring blankly at an empty field where no one ever showed up was boring for anyone.
"Yaaawn~" What time was it now? I yawned again and glanced around. Naturally, there were no clocks nearby. The only clock in this fortress was the grandfather clock in the company commander's office.
Wait, no. That wasn't the only way to tell time. I tilted my head back to check the sun. Factoring in how the days were getting longer as the weather warmed...
Doooong! Doooong! Doooong! Doooong!
Four o'clock! It wasn't some chime from an office clock. I'd calculated it from the sun's position and the length of the shadows.
"Lieutenant Kim, sir! Lieutenant Kim, sir!"
Just then, I heard someone calling me. I turned toward the walls. A soldier was rushing desperately along the fortress sidewall.
"Don't run—walk! You'll fall off!"
The outer wall had embrasures for guns, but the inner side was a sheer drop. Roll sideways while lying down up here, and you'd plummet right off. Of course, no idiot here would do that.
Though maybe one already had and that's why there weren't any left.
"What? What's up?"
While I was lost in thought for a second, the soldier got closer. His face flushed with excitement, he said in a trembling voice,
"L-Lieutenant, sir! S-Suspicious ship! No, ships! There are ships!"
Several thoughts raced through my head in those few seconds. Was he overreacting? Were there really suspicious ships? Or was this some prank to fuck with me?
"Where."
But seeing is believing, as they say.
"Where are they? Where're they coming from? Lead the way."
"Y-Yes, sir! This way!"
I followed the soldier back along the wall at a brisk pace.
"There! Those ships!"
The soldier who'd spotted them pointed out at sea as we reached the fortress side. As a trade port linking Joseon and Japan, plenty of ships came and went, but those ones were heading straight for the cliffs where our fortress stood.
"What the hell are those?"
Muttering under my breath with a bad feeling, I narrowed my eyes for a better look. Merchant ships drifted in loose groups of three or four, nothing flashy about them.
But not these. They were painted black in patches like camouflage, and their sails bore a huge emblem: a cross overlaid on a circle.
That crest—was it the Tojin clan or something? One medium ship flanked by four small ones, all bearing down on us precisely.
And as they drew closer, I spotted iron tubes loaded on their decks.
No way. What lunatic loads iron poles onto a ship like that?
Those were cannons.
"Sound the alarm! Hurry!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The soldier nodded and dashed back along the wall to the bell above the main gate. He rang it wildly, signaling an emergency throughout the fortress.
Clangclangclangclangclang!
Soldiers poured out from everywhere at the echoing toll. Naturally, the fortress commander, Captain Na Se-hyeong, showed up too.
"What's the meaning of this?!"
"Why ring the bell?!"
"Company commander!"
I kept my eyes glued to the approaching ships and shouted,
"Tojin clan ships inbound! Looks like warships!"
"If they're warships, say warships—'looks like' what?!"
Don't nitpick, asshole! Come see for yourself!
Fortunately, Captain Na Se-hyeong hustled up the stairs. He came to my side and took in the same sight.
"Huh."
He let out a small sigh, eyes widening at the ships. But the sly curl of his lips screamed we were fucked.
"Fire a blank! Warning shot!"
A blank was powder only—no shell—just to warn them off.
"Hey! What are you waiting for? Fire a blank and chase them off!"
Well, well? Pumped up, huh? His mouth was grinning ear to ear, even as he bellowed dramatically. True to his warmonger rep, he'd been dying for this.
Fuck. Fine, it was the right call.
"Load a blank! Now!"
I swallowed my disgust and urged the men on.
"Yes, sir! Right away!"
A gapsa was loading a ship-pointed cannon on the wall. He trimmed the fuse, jammed it in the hole, poured powder down the barrel, and tamped it with a wooden plug. All that was left was lighting the fuse.
"Company commander, sir!"
The gapsa looked to Na Se-hyeong for the go-ahead.
"Hmm..."
The bastard groaned low like he was launching a nuke, pondering deeply. After wasting several seconds, he finally yelled,
"Not yet! Fire when they're closer!"
Surprisingly, the guy could think. I'd forgotten he was an academy elite, overshadowed by his grabby power plays.
"Yeah. A bit closer. Closer...!"
But his warmonger side hadn't gone anywhere. Eyes unblinking, he waited with a shit-eating grin before bellowing,
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
Permission granted, the gapsa struck a match and lit the fuse. Sparks flew like a sparkler, the fuse burning shorter until it vanished into the barrel.
Then the muzzle erupted in a boom of white smoke.
BOOM!
Holy shit. That startled me. The blast shook the walls under our feet. First cannon I'd ever heard, so I flinched involuntarily.
"Ooh."
I held it together, barely. The company commander collapsed to the wall, legs giving out. He caught my eye, coughed awkwardly, and stood like nothing happened.
"Ahem. Ahem. Hm?"
I followed his frown. The Tojin ships had surely heard the thunderous shot, but they kept closing in.
What the fuck?
"Reload the blank! Hurry!"
Na Se-hyeong finally grasped the gravity, yelling desperately. He leaned way over the wall for a better look, forgetting the telescope in his pocket.
"Borrowing this!"
I snatched the one poking from his uniform pocket and aimed at the nearing ships, scanning the crew.
Not crew. Soldiers. Black-lacquered armor gave it away.
"Fuck!"
I couldn't hold back the curse, shoving the scope back.
"See for yourself! Those are soldiers!"
"What?!"
For once, he didn't argue, grabbing the scope without complaint.
"...!"
His face drained white in real time. No more excitement.
Clangclangclangclangclang!
The emergency bell rang again. I tore my eyes from the ships to the main gate wall.
The soldier who'd spotted them was ringing it, shouting,
"Suspicious figures approaching! Armed riders inbound!"
Suspicious figures? On horseback? Ships were headache enough—now this? My head was splitting.
"Y-You! Go check it out! Hurry!"
Na Se-hyeong yelled while eyeing the ships through the scope and naked eye. For once, I followed orders without a word.
I sprinted to the main gate wall and peered over the railing.
"You fucking idiot!"
The curse exploded out. I never snapped at soldiers or used formal speech lightly, but now...
"How the hell is that 'suspicious'? That's blatant cavalry! You moron!"
Four soldiers in full black armor charged on horseback.
"Move! Fuck off!"
I shoved the idiot aside and rang the bell myself. Self-mocking that I'd never imagined saying this, I bellowed at full volume,
Clangclangclangclangclang!
"All hands! Battle stations! All hands! Battle stations! Small cavalry unit approaching!"
Fear flickered in the soldiers' eyes. Fair enough. It'd been nearly ten years since fighting on Tsushima. Peace had settled in; no battles, but fat promotions and pay in this resort posting.
That was Tsushima. But right now, fuck all that.
"Move your asses! Slackers answer to me! You! Hurry the fuck up before I smash your skull!"
I singled out the slowpokes, whipping everyone into battle readiness.
"No! Company commander stays here! Why're you standing around like an idiot?!"
Even Captain Na Se-hyeong got no slack. I planted him on the main gate wall, with me and Sergeant Won Hyeong-gyun flanking him.
By the time everyone was in position, the cavalry was at the gates.
"@#$&!"
The one in the fanciest helmet barked something. A soldier who spoke Japanese translated beside us.
"They're asking why we fired on them."
Why'd we fire? 'Cause you came, dipshits.
"...!"
Na Se-hyeong blanked on the obvious. Unlike his usual war-whooping self, his face was pale, trembling.
"Company commander?"
"Uh, y-yeah. Right."
Snapped back, he approached the railing, leaned out, and yelled down at the cavalry,
"We fired as a warning because you approached first!"
"@#$%^&!"
The interpreter leaned out to translate.
"@#$%^&*!"
"Wh-what? Huh?"
But he couldn't translate the reply right away. His face went from white to blue, eyes quaking as he mumbled,
"N-No... They say it doesn't matter. They take our shot as a declaration of war..."
Declaration of war. Those four syllables hit like vertigo.
Nearby soldiers sighed low. Some collapsed in place.
"Get up! Want me to break your legs?!"
They couldn't.
"Wh-what? D-Declaration of what?!"
Na Se-hyeong's face turned purple. Flailing, he yelled down at the cavalry,
"M-Misunderstanding! It's a misunderstanding! W-We just fired 'cause you came! Where you going, you bastards?!"
The riders wheeled away like their business was done, not forgetting a mocking snort our way.
But Na Se-hyeong wailed after them like a clingy lover,
"C-Come back! Misunderstanding! Th-that guy told 'em to fire...!"
When did I?! You said fire, asshole?!
Fuck. We were totally screwed.
Firing blanks at unannounced warships was standard anywhere—civilized, even, since no live rounds. But them closing despite the shot, then cavalry showing for a declaration?
It was a setup. One only the Joseon troops didn't know about.
Fucking Japs. Your move.
Goddamn it. Driving me insane. Did King Munjong know? Send me here on purpose?
That psycho bastard.
Shimazu clan'd be hitting soon, probably. Si-jin must be training at HQ right now, right? Hope the kid doesn't beg for the front lines.
Once he gets some combat experience there, promote him and ship him elsewhere.
Where to, though?