Hubei is Always Cloudy - 3: The Yangtze Waterway Eighteen... No, Eighteen Strongholds
The Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds—no, the Eighteen Strongholds. As the name suggests, they were once the largest group of water bandits operating along the Yangtze, the lifeblood of the Central Plains.
For the authorities, bandits rampaging on the Yangtze—the very artery of the Central Plains—was nothing short of the ultimate humiliation. After successfully driving out the Mongols, the Song Dynasty hated the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds more than any other thieves and smashed them first and foremost.
The supreme commander of the bandit suppression, who personally led the operations on the ground, was none other than Gu Gangwang. Having lost his family to water bandits, Gu Gangwang harbored intense hatred toward them. Knowing this, the Emperor granted him authority over the suppression and maintenance of order against the Yangtze bandits, soothing his grudge.
"They are vermin who fattened themselves amid the chaos of war. Kill them all and bring peace to the world."
As a result, Gu Gangwang led his forces with even greater ferocity and splendor than when fighting the Mongols. What is now called the Great Yangtze Purge saw him wipe out the Eighteen Strongholds and countless lesser bandit groups.
The stronghold leader, Jin Paeryeong, was publicly executed by lingchi before Gu Gangwang's very eyes, and his entire clan was exterminated to the third degree. Even the executives who survived battle faced beheading or waist-slicing if captured—it's no exaggeration to say the Yangtze water bandits went extinct under Gu Gangwang's hand.
Yet these bandits, whose seeds were supposedly dried up, were rearing their heads again.
Do these bastards just spawn naturally from the dirt or something?
At this point, it was downright miraculous. It was shocking enough that water bandits had appeared on Dongting Lake, but they were still alive and kicking in Hubei, where multiple factions were entangled? How the hell had they survived this long?
Of course, bandits are the kind of thing that sprout up again no matter how many times you uproot them. Even if the people of the realm never starve, someone will always be relatively poor. As long as that relative poverty exists, bandits will emerge no matter how benevolent the rule or how peaceful the land.
But this went beyond that. It wasn't just some new bandit group cropping up—it looked like remnants or descendants of the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds were showing their faces.
"Gu Gangwang still conducts periodic bandit hunts even after the Great Yangtze Purge. If they've evaded his eyes for decades, it's no mere coincidence."
As I stared blankly at the scroll, Yangyang Wang spoke up.
"Then these bandits must be thorough enough to—"
"They've just been lying low for decades. What choice did they have if they didn't want to die?"
I nodded awkwardly at Yangyang Wang's matter-of-fact response, as if I'd asked something stupid.
True enough. How could lowly bandit scum, with their heads smashed and limbs severed, fool Gu Gangwang's eyes? They must have simply stayed hidden, as he said, and thus escaped notice.
"And while it's not confirmed, we're speculating that survivors from the Great Purge raised heirs. This incident seems to have been carried out not by remnants themselves, but by their descendants."
"They sure leave heirs behind, playing the warrior. Tough bunch."
"That's why they're water bandits—they survive and pop up anywhere."
Yangyang Wang clicked his tongue in annoyance and leaned back in his chair like he was melting into it.
"People from Wudang and the Je-gal family will arrive soon, so stay with us, Left Vice Inspector General."
"From Wudang and the Je-gal family?"
At my question, Yangyang Wang nodded calmly.
"No need to worry—you can sit easy."
With the king's assurance, I nodded for now. He wouldn't say that if the two factions were about to grab each other by the collar in front of officials.
As we shared tea with Yangyang Wang, a fierce aura and commotion approached from afar.
"...You said there'd be nothing to worry about."
I spoke up awkwardly, right on the cusp of the exact situation I'd feared unfolding.
Wudang and the Je-gal family were currently at odds, with rumors even swirling that the Je-gals had sunk a Wudang ship. If representatives from those two met, the atmosphere was bound to turn ugly. If this weren't Yangyang Wang's residence, it might have escalated straight to violence instead of mere words.
The common folk are whispering about it too—that means it's filthily hostile.
Even ordinary people, somewhat removed from murim, knew about this incident. That meant the two factions weren't even pretending—they were in full quasi-wartime mode.
For a moment, I wondered if "nothing to worry about" really meant "I'll beat both of them down if needed, so relax." A hardcore martial artist like Yangyang Wang could pull that off.
"You'll see."
But Yangyang Wang remained utterly nonchalant, as if there were truly no issue.
"We pay respects to Your Highness Yangyang Wang. I am Baek Seon, elder of Wudang."
"I am Je-gal Jin, elder of the Je-gal family."
The moment they entered the room where Yangyang Wang and I waited, I realized it from their perfectly composed demeanors. These guys—they were all in on it together.
"You've had a long journey—well done. Sit."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Our thanks for your consideration."
At Yangyang Wang's gesture, Je-gal Jin sat down smoothly, glanced at me already seated, and flashed a subtle smile.
"I heard a hero had come to Yangyang. Might you be the Left Vice Inspector General, sir?"
"Hero, I don't know about that—but yes, Left Vice Inspector General."
Given the circumstances, he seemed aligned with Yangyang Wang, so I rose and cupped my hands in greeting.
"Ah, indeed. I sensed a valiant aura— so you're that grandson of Giwang."
Baek Seon chuckled and chimed in. Yep, definitely colluding.
Otherwise, how could two opposing factions create such a serene atmosphere when gathered?
"Looks like you've already guessed."
Yangyang Wang smirked at my darting eyes and continued.
"The clash between Wudang and the Je-gal family is all for show to the outside world. It's to lure out the third parties fanning the flames of their rivalry, drawing them into the open."
"We are in awe of Your Highness's profound wisdom."
They'd already sniffed out someone egging on their fake fight and were playing along until that oddball parent-child duo showed up. It was also a ploy to smash the remnants of the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds by deceiving all of Hubei. I bowed deeply in respect.
Of course, it was probably the advisors' wisdom, but Yangyang Wang was the one who accepted it. Compared to those who bulldozed ahead denying their shortcomings and ruined everything, he was top 0.1% boss material.
"Haha, without Your Highness, we might still be suspecting each other. There was a minor merchant dispute, after all."
"We didn't think the Je-gals would go as far as sinking ships, but in this Hubei, they're the only real rivals to Wudang. Who'd have imagined it was water bandit mischief? We can only thank Your Highness for mediating."
At my surprise praise, the two reps hurriedly gilded Yangyang Wang's face, praising his mediation and sagacity.
Our Yangyang Wang. Stuck with administrative drudgery unsuited to his nature, he clearly needed his subordinates to show they trusted and followed him to feel at ease.
"Enough of that. Buttering me up won't make anything come out."
He said that, but Yangyang Wang's expression brightened subtly.
Thus, contrary to public perception, the tripartite meeting of officials, Wudang, and the Je-gals began in perfect harmony.
I unpacked in the quarters Yangyang Wang had prepared.
"Did things go well?"
Jo Wi-cheo spoke up the moment I finished.
"Eh."
Ambiguous. Could I really call this "going well"?
The meeting itself had gone smoothly enough. Wudang and the Je-gals clearly recognized their common enemy and pledged full cooperation with the authorities to hunt down the bandits bold enough to stir trouble between them.
With officials, Wudang, and Je-gals united, even the main stronghold of the Eighteen—if it showed—would get pummeled like a dog.
On the surface, that screamed success... but
"The scale's gotten way too big."
With Hubei's three major powers joining hands, the board had expanded massively.
"They're talking about flipping over every murim faction in Hubei while they're at it."
"...Pardon?"
Jo Wi-cheo furrowed his brow at the sudden upheaval declaration. I was still dumbfounded myself.
How did a simple bandit hunt balloon into that?
"Martial artists aren't creatures you can raise on martial prowess alone. If remnants of the Eighteen raised heirs, there must be cooperating factions. We can't just cut the visible grass—we have to uproot it all."
"Your Highness speaks truly. Uprooting is crucial. With so many factions crowded in Hubei, some unorthodox group blinded by petty gains might have allied with the bandits."
"It could even be orthodox sects. Shocking enough that bandits kept their bloodline alive, but we can't rule out orthodox groups joining hands with them."
"Hm, Elder Baek Seon is right. No exceptions."
I recalled Yangyang Wang, Baek Seon, and Je-gal Jin's exchange and let out a hollow laugh.
Honestly, those three seemed to have already dismissed the bandits from their minds. Sure, bandits needed exterminating, but once identified, crushing them wasn't hard.
Hubei's strength wasn't so feeble it couldn't handle mere bandits. Thus, the reps from officials, Wudang, and Je-gals used them as an excuse to declare a murim discipline crackdown.
Officials beating murim was routine; Wudang got a shot at farming other factions' interests; Je-gals could flaunt their obedience to the state.
For Hubei's murim, it's like the sky's falling.
As Yangyang Wang said, martial artists aren't grown on kung fu alone. Holed up in some mountainside passing down solo arts? That requires facilities and elixirs.
Fugitives stripped bare by Gu Gangwang wouldn't have such foundations. Cooperating factions made logical sense, but not enough to warrant upending all of Hubei.
From Hubei murim's view, it'd feel like getting screwed over a tiny minority.
...Whatever.
I withdrew any sympathy for Hubei murim.
Officials thrashing murim was daily life. If it stung, they should've rooted out their own rot before the bandits stirred trouble.
Discipline tightened, and I don't have to patrol everywhere myself. Nice.
That was that.