Chapter 70
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Chapter 20. Snake and Hawk Hunt (7)
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The horde of bandits came to a halt with their horses at a distance of 150 zhang from Guwang Fortress.
Yu Orogo called out to two of his trusted henchmen.
"Hey, One-Eyed Fox, and Old Camel."
"Yes, sir."
"I want to see what those bastards can do, so each of you take fifteen men and go say hello."
The 'One-Eyed Fox' flashed his single eye as he asked,
"If they turn out to be more pathetic than expected, can we just cut their throats right there?"
"Permission granted."
"Understood."
The 'One-Eyed Fox' and the 'Old Camel' each led fifteen bandits in a single-file formation, kicking up two long trails of dust clouds as they charged forward.
In response, the Face Pursuit Unit Jeong members, who had taken cover behind crumbling walls and remaining pillars, hunkered down tight. Only Jin Gayong climbed atop the watchtower in the center of the half-ruined Guwang Fortress, boldly exposing himself.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-
The two parallel lines racing side by side split left and right about fifteen zhang from the base of the hill where Guwang Fortress stood. One group began circling to the right along the perimeter, while the other went the opposite way.
"Engage!"
The One-Eyed Fox released his bowstring from horseback with a shout, the first arrow aimed straight at Jin Gayong.
Shing-
From that opening shot, the fifteen bandits following the One-Eyed Fox loosed arrows in rapid succession, all pouring toward Jin Gayong. Then the bandits circling from the opposite side began firing as well, their target likewise Jin Gayong.
It was because he was the only one who had shown himself, and his lone defiance irked them to no end.
Shing- shing- shing- shing- shing-
Of the thirty-two arrows fired in the initial volley, a whopping nine flew straight at Jin Gayong.
It was a display that hinted at the bandits' exceptional mounted archery skills.
In reply, as if to answer in kind, Jin Gayong showed off a trick of his own.
He pointed his left index finger at some spot in the air, snapping his thumb and middle finger with a sharp snap-snap to mark the rhythm.
Then, with the sword in his right hand, he began whirling it around his body, the wide sleeves of his robe billowing like ocean waves. It was an elegant dance that resembled a sword performance.
And just like that, every incoming arrow splintered or bounced off, raining down harmlessly.
No sooner had the barrage ended than Wang Baek-gun and the other four Unit members burst from their hiding spots, hurling their prepared javelins in unison.
Whoosh- whoosh- whoosh- whoosh- whoosh-
Three of the five flying javelins struck true into the bandits, skewering them like meat on spits. The impaled bandits tumbled from their horses, rolling across the ground.
Crash-tumble-crash~
With the enemy surrounding them and the terrain favoring throws from above, it was easier than it might have been. Still, it was a counterattack that proved the Unit members' skills were no joke.
The bandits fired arrows at the exposed Unit members with shouts, but by then they had already ducked back behind cover. They had vanished the moment they threw.
The bandits shifted formation.
They still encircled the hill from both right and left, but now at a farther distance of ten additional zhang, drawing a wider circle. Half continued targeting Jin Gayong on the watchtower, while the other half nocked arrows and held position.
Waiting to hunt the Unit members when they emerged again.
They circled three full times like that.
In the meantime, Jin Gayong deflected every incoming arrow with his sword, his movements so light and nimble it seemed he could hold out for a full shichen like this. Annoyingly, he kept snapping his left fingers in that same peculiar rhythm.
And not just Jin Gayong—no one in the Unit took a single arrow hit.
So, did the bandits' formation change achieve nothing? Not quite.
Thanks to it, the Unit's javelin counterattacks dropped sharply in frequency and success rate.
From then on, the Unit moved in pairs: one shielding with a large shield while the other hurled a javelin from behind. Frequency halved just like that.
And with the greater distance, only one in every three or four throws hit, dropping the success rate from sixty percent to about thirty—cut in half again.
In short, over those three laps, the bandits gained nothing while steadily dying off.
Six had fallen in total. Casualties reduced, all thanks to the formation shift.
Good, right?
As if.
The hot-tempered One-Eyed Fox was pissed deep.
Continuing this cat-and-mouse was pointless. Especially wasting arrows on Jin Gayong—it was squandering ammo and manpower.
Damn dogs, just you wait!
The One-Eyed Fox wheeled his horse around with resolve and bellowed like a lion.
"Follow me! Charge!"
The One-Eyed Fox and his eleven remaining bandits turned toward Guwang Fortress atop the hill and launched their assault.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-
The Old Camel, racing from the opposite side, startled and cursed.
"What a fucking idiot. The boss clearly said just to probe, but he can't swallow his rage and has to screw everything up."
But this kind of charge worked far better when attempted from two directions rather than one.
If you're doing it, do it together.
The seasoned Old Camel hesitated but soon steeled himself, turning his horse toward Guwang Fortress and unleashing a guttural roar.
A command for all to follow.
"Kieee~"
Thus, two gales of fury bore down on Guwang Fortress.
Not to be outdone, Jin Gayong let out a long whistle, his right-hand sword tip and left index finger each pointing in one direction.
The members in cover couldn't see outside, so Jin Gayong had been acting as their eyes all this time.
As an aside, the finger snaps he'd been making were prearranged signals in the same vein. The members had timed and directed their counters based on his left hand movements.
But apparently, Jin Gayong's actions grated on someone.
Toot. Toot. Toooooot~
A horn blared from 150 zhang away.
Cleaving through the sound, a single arrow streaked viciously toward him!
A red glint flashed in Jin Gayong's eyes, and in the next instant, his sword traced a clean arc.
Snap-crack.
The arrow split neatly in two, veering left and right. Longer than standard by half again and packing double the impact—it was a custom job.
Jin Gayong gazed in the arrow's direction, sharpening his focus.
There stood an old man in hunter's garb, staring back. Sensing Jin Gayong's gaze, he narrowed his eyes, curled one corner of his mouth, and grinned.
A greeting of sorts.
Or perhaps a harbinger of what was to come.
'That must be the Stone Blind that Dangum mentioned. As expected, not an easy foe.'
Jin Gayong switched his sword to his left hand, flexing his numbed right—which had absorbed the arrow's shock—open and closed as he pondered.
The power of an arrow loosed from over a hundred zhang was this much, after all.
Meanwhile, the recklessly charging bandits faced a massive shift.
Or rather, they were forced to.
The Old Camel gripped his long spear low, hugging his horse's back as they climbed two-thirds up the hill.
Suddenly, the horse staggered, unable to withstand its own momentum, and toppled sideways with a pained whinny.
Whiiinny~
The Old Camel leaped off calmly amid the panic, rolling into a tumble to absorb the fall.
A bandit behind him surged to the front, and the mounted ones streamed past the Old Camel, pressing the pinpoint breakthrough.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-
Finally catching his breath, the Old Camel inspected the cause: a caltrop wedged between the horseshoe and hoof of his mount.
The Face Pursuit Unit had scattered caltrops atop the hill to counter cavalry charges.
If they ringed only the old Guwang Fortress perimeter, they could punch through paying only a few lives.
But what if caltrops blanketed the entire fortress?
'No way. Getting that many caltrops would be hard enough, let alone hauling them all the way here.'
The Old Camel's reasoning seemed sound at first glance.
But he knew one thing and not the other, so after drawing his large saber from his waist and climbing a bit on foot, he paled in horror.
By now, the hilltop was chaos: harsh whinnies, screams, curses, and clashing weapons all mixed together.
But the Old Camel had dismissed it as the usual commotion of a cavalry breach.
Until he saw it himself: half the horses down and thrashing, the rest milling in confusion, unsure where to go.
What he'd deemed impossible had happened—his men's horses had all stumbled into the caltrop field.
"How in the world...?"
The day before, the Unit had divided three boxes of caltrops provided by Squad Leader Gwak Nan-hoe among their packs and carried them in.
A fair amount, but as the Old Camel thought, nowhere near enough to cover all of Guwang Fortress.
So the Unit had chosen focus over spread.
Guwang Fortress was ruins, but not every wall or building obliterated, nor all debris cleared. Obstacles remained throughout.
Not comparable to a pristine military outpost, but far from open plain for free riding.
Thus, chokepoints existed.
Upon arrival, under Jin Gayong's command, they surveyed from the hill base the best invasion routes into Guwang Fortress. They shored up some, creating four prime ascent paths, and concentrated the caltrops there.
These were predictions, however—the bandits chose the paths.
So when battle began, the Unit deliberately left those four routes open, moving only through other areas to fight until now.
A lure.
And it worked.
The bandits led by One-Eyed Fox and Old Camel took the east and north paths, respectively.
Was this good luck?
Or bad?
Either way, the One-Eyed Fox plunged into the eastern trap, yet bizarrely, his horse navigated twenty caltrops over ten zhang without stepping on a single one.
Though the horses of bandits trailing him tripped and crashed with pitiful cries, he ignored them, eyes fixed ahead.
Because he was the vanguard. If the leader slowed in fear, the whole cavalry's momentum crumbled.
Thus, the One-Eyed Fox was the first bandit to reach Guwang Fortress proper—and quickly realized it dead-ended into a trap.
Did that scare him?
No, sir.
His single eye gleamed with battle spirit. How many times had he teetered on death's edge in enemy traps? This was hardly the first.
"Hah!"
The One-Eyed Fox roared, batting aside a hurled javelin from above with his own spear, then kicked off his saddle and leaped high.
Descending, he thrust his spear with full force at the man blocking the path's inner entrance.
An obstacle that had to be cleared to turn defeat into victory—he poured everything into this strike.
Grab?
'What the hell?'
Even the iron-gutted One-Eyed Fox couldn't keep his eye from bulging like a saucer this time.
A blow mighty enough to snap a tree trunk, yet snatched mid-thrust like swatting a fly and crushed barehanded by the old man. How could it not shock him?
Their levels were worlds apart.
The elder Wang Baek-gun offered a sticky smile, sealing the One-Eyed Fox's fate.
"Good work making it here."