Chapter 703: The Suspect We Shall Name Is Jang Sam
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 703: The Suspect We Shall Name Is Jang Sam
"What is the meaning of this!"
Lee Jae-won’s face contorted in a fierce grimace as he raised his voice.
Large-character posters had been plastered across the entirety of Shandong Province? What on earth was he hearing?
"We have received reports from every branch, Alliance Leader. They say posters slandering you have been put up in every nook and cranny!"
Zhuge Chan spoke with urgency.
Grind.
Upon hearing those words, Lee Jae-won began to grind his teeth audibly. A rage so immense it was nearly impossible to suppress surged within him.
"The suspect! Has a suspect been identified?!"
"Regrettably... they say no one has been identified yet!"
"Are you saying there are no witnesses?!"
".........That is correct."
"There are tens, hundreds of thousands of people living in Shandong! And yet you tell me there isn't a single witness? Do you honestly think that makes any sense?!"
Lee Jae-won’s face turned beet-red as he glared at Zhuge Chan and bellowed. His frustration boiled over at the sheer incompetence of failing to find even a single witness, let alone a suspect.
".....I offer my sincerest apologies."
"I don't want an apology! I want a solution!"
".........."
Zhuge Chan was left speechless.
"Why is there no answer? I told you to speak! Tell me you'll catch the culprit! Tell me you'll find a witness!"
Lee Jae-won’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Zhuge Chan, his voice rising further.
"Why are the rest of you silent? Offer a solution immediately! Do you intend to just stand by and watch as the honor of the Cheonmu Alliance is dragged through the mud?!"
Lee Jae-won turned his gaze toward the silent leadership, his roar echoing through the room.
"............"
However, the leaders remained silent. There was no way they could possibly know how to identify a culprit under these circumstances.
"Don't just sit there with your mouths shut like mute idiots! Spit something out!"
Lee Jae-won began to hurl increasingly vicious insults. The fury reaching the top of his head had completely paralyzed his reason.
Flinch.
Hearing his words, the leaders began to tremble slightly. They were utterly cowed by Lee Jae-won’s savage tone.
"A-Alliance Leader.... Perhaps you should calm down..."
Lee Dae-gon spoke up with a look of bewilderment. He felt the Alliance Leader was becoming excessively agitated.
"Calm down? Did you just tell me to calm down!?"
Lee Jae-won turned his bloodshot eyes toward him.
"Do I look like I'm in a position to be calm right now? The reputation I've built over twenty years is about to vanish in an instant! Are you lacking in brains? Or do you simply have no thoughts at all?"
Lee Jae-won began to berate Lee Dae-gon with relentless sarcasm.
"............."
Lee Dae-gon clamped his mouth shut. He realized it then—what the Alliance Leader needed right now was a punching bag to vent his anger on. The man’s rational thinking had completely evaporated.
"What exactly is it that you people do? All you know how to do is engage in factional infighting or gorge yourselves on bribes. Is there a single thing you can do properly?"
"A-Alliance Leader! You go too far!"
At that moment, one of the leaders flared up and raised his voice. He felt that even for the Alliance Leader, the level of disrespect had crossed a line.
"You find this insulting?"
"Of course I do!"
"If you find it insulting, then go do your damn jobs! I don't care if you take bribes or fight amongst yourselves! Just catch the culprit who put up those posters!"
"............"
"Do none of you feel a sense of crisis? With the Great War of Righteousness and Demons right around the corner, do you think we can prepare properly if the Cheonmu Alliance's reputation hits rock bottom?"
Lee Jae-won’s sharp eyes flashed as he scanned the room.
"The reason the Cheonmu Alliance can receive the support of the people even after declaring war on the Demonic Cult is because of our grand reputation as an organization that realizes justice! That reputation itself is our justification! But what happens if that reputation is ruined? We lose our justification!"
If any place other than the Cheonmu Alliance had declared war on the Demonic Cult, they likely wouldn't have received such support. Fear of a horrific war and cold calculations of profit and loss would have made people reluctant.
But the Cheonmu Alliance was different. Their mere declaration of war was enough to draw support from countless people. Their reputation as champions of justice served as the justification to rally martial artists to their side.
And now, that reputation was about to crack. Their justification was on the verge of vanishing. Yet, the attitude of the leadership was nothing short of leisurely, as if it were someone else's problem. How could he not be furious?
"If we lose our justification, those who promised to join the Great War will leave the Cheonmu Alliance one by one! Those who have been supporting us behind the scenes will cut off their aid! They will see no value in supporting a Cheonmu Alliance that lacks justice! Is that truly what you want?"
Lee Jae-won’s face was flushed deep red as he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"N-No, sir!"
"That is not the case."
"It is unthinkable."
Hearing Lee Jae-won’s words, the leaders began to deny it one after another. They, too, did not wish for such a worst-case scenario.
"If not, then bring me a plan! A plan that can overcome this entire situation!"
Lee Jae-won spoke with emphasis. What he needed was a practical solution—an effective measure to minimize all losses.
"..........Alliance Leader."
It was then that Cha Do-jin, the Phoenix Hall Master who had been listening in silence, finally spoke.
"There is a way."
He continued with a grave expression.
"What!?"
Lee Jae-won looked startled as he turned toward him.
"There is one way to get past this crisis."
"Is that true?"
"It is."
Cha Do-jin nodded in response.
"What is it!?"
Lee Jae-won asked urgently. He was curious to know what brilliant idea the man had come up with.
"Is it not standard practice to fight public opinion with public opinion?"
Cha Do-jin’s cold eyes glinted.
"We shall shape the narrative."
Lee Jae-won’s brow furrowed deeply at Cha Do-jin’s words. It seemed this bastard hadn't understood a word he’d said. Unless they caught the culprit, reversing public opinion was meaningless. Even if they turned the tide now, it would be futile if the culprits started their slandering again.
"The important thing right now is catching the culprit! Even if we flip the narrative, it's obvious they'll just try to slander me again if we don't catch them!"
Lee Jae-won raised his voice, looking frustrated.
"We simply need to form a public opinion that cannot be shaken."
Despite Lee Jae-won’s shouting, Cha Do-jin maintained a calm expression.
"An unshakable public opinion?"
"Precisely. If we form an absolute narrative that remains steady regardless of what schemes are thrown at it, it won't matter even if we can't catch the culprit."
Cha Do-jin spoke with an air of confidence.
"And how do you propose we form such an opinion?"
Lee Jae-won’s tone softened considerably. He was starting to hope that this might actually be a clever move.
"We simply identify a suspect for the posters."
"How can we identify a suspect when there are no witnesses?"
Lee Jae-won frowned. He was starting to get annoyed by what sounded like Cha Do-jin’s nonsense.
"We can identify a culprit even without witnesses, Alliance Leader."
Cha Do-jin let out a cold smile.
"No, what are you talking about? Identifying a culprit without witnesses? That's impossible unless we fabricate a suspect and point the finger at them!"
Lee Jae-won spoke as if it were absurd. Identifying a suspect without a witness was impossible unless they framed someone.
"That is exactly it, Alliance Leader."
A thick smile spread across Cha Do-jin’s lips.
"What?"
"We artificially create a suspect and then identify them. In a way that the public will find convincing."
"........Are you saying we should blame the Demonic Cult again?"
Lee Jae-won looked skeptical. Using the Demonic Cult as a scapegoat was a tactic they frequently used whenever they were in a politically disadvantageous position or lacked public support. They would create an atmosphere of fear, suggesting the Demonic Cult might invade the Central Plains at any moment, to shift public opinion in their desired direction.
However, Lee Jae-won was doubtful. While blaming the Demonic Cult was effective, it was a classic, overused method. Everyone who was anyone already knew the trick, so he didn't think they could get away with it so easily this time.
"The target we shall name as the suspect is not the Demonic Cult."
Cha Do-jin shook his head.
"Then who on earth are you suggesting we name?"
Lee Jae-won asked, genuinely confused. The only entity with a reputation and a grudge against the Cheonmu Alliance that everyone would find believable was the Demonic Cult. But if not them, then who? What did this mean?
"The suspect we shall name is Jang Sam."
Cha Do-jin’s cold eyes sparkled.
"Ja... Jang Sam?!"
Lee Jae-won stammered in shock. It was a name he hadn't expected to hear at all. Who was Jang Sam? Was he not his own eldest disciple, whom he had sacrificed for the honor of the Cheonmu Alliance? And now they were going to frame him as the culprit again?
"If Jang Sam is the suspect, the majority of people will find it entirely plausible. As a Public Enemy of the Murim, he has more than enough reason to be hostile toward the Cheonmu Alliance, and his infamy is known to all. And most importantly, no one knows where he is hiding. Where else could you find a more perfect culprit?"
Cha Do-jin continued with a cold smile. Jang Sam was the perfect suspect. He had the motive of being a Public Enemy of the Murim, the infamy of having raped and murdered numerous women, and the fact that his whereabouts were unknown. All the pieces fit perfectly. If he wasn't the culprit, who else could be?
"............."
Meanwhile, Lee Jae-won sat in stunned silence. He was dazed by Cha Do-jin’s completely unexpected proposal. What was he saying? To take his own disciple—the very Jang Sam he had already sacrificed for the Alliance's honor—and turn him into the identified suspect? This meant deceiving the masses to gain a false sense of honor.
He’s a genius.
Lee Jae-won was impressed. He quite liked Cha Do-jin’s shift in perspective. He had never imagined they could win the war of public opinion by pinning all the blame on Jang Sam.
Good! This is good!
The corners of Lee Jae-won’s mouth began to curl into a faint smile. He felt that Cha Do-jin’s plan would be sufficiently effective. Generally speaking, the masses were like dogs and pigs—fools who frequently changed their stance depending on the situation. If they were presented with a suspect who had both the motive and the infamy, the majority would accept it and move on.
This guy is a total genius.
Lee Jae-won glanced at Cha Do-jin with admiration. He hadn't expected the man to be this clever.
I should make him a strategist once the Great War is over.
Lee Jae-won decided that as soon as the war ended, he would promote this man to the position of Chief Strategist.
"....That method is certainly not bad—"
"This is absurd!"
It happened then. Heo Sam-gwan, who had been listening quietly, shouted out. His face was filled with immense rage.
This... this son of a bitch... he interrupted me?
Lee Jae-won’s expression soured instantly. He did not appreciate Heo Sam-gwan’s obstructive attitude.
"The Cheonmu Alliance is an organization meant to realize justice! How can you suggest we commit such a dishonest act!"
Heo Sam-gwan glared at Cha Do-jin, his voice full of condemnation.
"Well then, do you have another way?"
Lee Jae-won asked him in a cold voice. Public opinion was boiling over because of the posters. If they didn't find a scapegoat now, the Cheonmu Alliance might suffer a blow from which it could never recover. How could he just stand by and let that happen?
"I may not have another way, but even so, such dishonesty cannot be tolerated! What is the founding ideology of the Cheonmu Alliance? Is it not the realization of Chivalry—to live for Chivalry and die for Chivalry? How can you suggest we commit such a foul deed!"
Heo Sam-gwan began to deliver a passionate speech. It was proof of just how agitated he was.
"How amusing."
Lee Jae-won spoke with a mocking expression.
"What!?"
"Did you not already use Jang Sam as a scapegoat once? Why are you acting all virtuous now?"
"Wha... what do you mean by that!"
"Not just you, but I, the Alliance Leader, and every member of the leadership here used Jang Sam as a scapegoat to quiet public opinion. To hear you say you can't do it now... it's enough to make me laugh."
Lee Jae-won let out a cold smirk. And as he faced that smirk, Heo Sam-gwan’s face began to turn deathly pale.