Monopolizing Fortunes (216)
Monopolizing Fortunes (216)
"N-no, I would not!"
No Song-guk scrambled to his feet and sat down carefully on the chair. He perched on the very edge of the seat, ready to rise and drop to his knees at any moment.
He couldn't help regretting that he hadn't simply stayed in the Southern Barbarians. After a lifetime spent drifting from battlefield to battlefield, all he had left was nerve—but this made him tremble more than an enemy blade at his throat ever had.
Ju Hyeong-seon asked No Song-guk.
"How long have you been in the army?"
"Th-this year makes twenty-one years."
"That is a long time. Did you sit the civil examinations?"
"No. I started as a common soldier."
Yang Su-pan remarked, "To rise from a common soldier to Thousand-Man Commander—impressive."
"He lost a bet with me, so now he's a Ten-Man Commander."
"Promotion is hard, but demotion comes quickly."
"That's how the army is."
Ju Hyeong-seon said.
"If demotion comes quickly, then you'll have to show that promotion can come quickly too. How about Provincial Commander?"
Provincial Commander was a senior second-rank post that commanded all the troops of a province—one of only sixteen such high offices in the entire army, the highest of the high.
Yang Su-pan nodded.
"We can cut Gwak Pil-jung, the current Provincial Commander of Liaoning Province, and seat him in that post. Gwak Pil-jung is Prince Yeongun's man anyway, so it's a wise appointment."
Do Tong-dal said.
"Provincial Commander is a pretty fast rise. I'm not sure an old Ten-Man Commander can handle it."
Only after that remark did No Song-guk realize that all this talk of Provincial Commander was about him. He gathered his courage and asked.
"I-I'm not actually becoming Provincial Commander, am I?"
"If you want it, you do it; if you don't, you don't. No matter how good the post, if the man himself doesn't want it, that's the end of it."
At Do Tong-dal's words, No Song-guk swallowed hard. Provincial Commander—a senior second-rank officer commanding all the troops of a province. No Song-guk had never even met anyone of such high rank, let alone ever hoped he might become one.
"If I truly wish it, can I really become Provincial Commander?"
Do Tong-dal asked.
"Do you have the ability?"
"I do. Compared to the idiot superiors I've had so far, I'm confident I'd do well."
"Being confident you'd do better than idiot superiors isn't enough. What we want is the best commander."
No Song-guk spoke honestly.
"I take pride in having been the best among Thousand-Man Commanders. I've never been a commander above that, so I can't say. But I am confident I won't be called incompetent."
Ju Hyeong-seon made the decision.
"Then let's put him to the test. What do you think, Minister Yang?"
"Tong-dal recommended him, so isn't that enough?"
"Why are you shoving the responsibility onto me?"
"Because it's the truth."
"Tch! I'll have to send Protector Jang along as an overseer."
"Protector Jang Yu-seom would be reassuring."
Yang Su-pan said to No Song-guk.
"Leave for Liaoning Province as soon as you're ready. Do you understand why we're sending you to Liaoning Province?"
"It must be because of the northern barbarians. Their movements are unusual."
"How do you know that so well while stationed in the Southern Barbarians?"
No Song-guk scratched his head.
"I clashed with my superior over that very issue and relations soured. My temper got the better of me, I butted heads with him, and I was demoted back to the Southern Barbarians."
"This time there'll be no superior to butt heads with. You'll be the top commander yourself. It's called Provincial Commander of Liaoning Province, but the troops you'll command from now on will number far more than that."
No Song-guk swallowed hard from tension.
"Assume war is coming. Soldiers will be gathering in Liaoning Province one after another from now on."
"How many are you thinking?"
"At least three hundred thousand."
"What? I'm supposed to command such an enormous army?"
"I told you. What we want is the best commander."
No Song-guk spoke with resolute determination.
"I will show you what the best is."
Watching him, Do Tong-dal laughed inwardly. He didn't know how much ability No Song-guk had as a commander. But he did know that this was not a man who talked nonsense.
Ju Hyeong-seon said to Do Tong-dal.
"Then you can leave together with him."
"I will. And please hand over the list of people in the Liaoning Province army who need to be dealt with."
"You're willing to do even that?"
"If I do it, the army will feel less resistance."
"We'd be grateful if you would. Understood. Prince Consort."
Do Tong-dal's face twisted in a scowl.
"I told you not to call me that!"
"Why not? You married my little sister, so Prince Consort is correct, isn't it?"
No Song-guk looked back at Do Tong-dal in surprise. He still didn't know what kind of man Do Tong-dal was.
When they first met, he had seemed to be just a martial artist. The second time, he had appeared as a high-ranking official, and now he was a Prince Consort.
And to bicker with the Emperor like that! Such insolence alone ought to cost a man his head, yet Yang Su-pan wore a relaxed expression, as if he had seen it all many times before.
"I should never come anywhere near the imperial palace."
At Do Tong-dal's grumbling, Ju Hyeong-seon clapped him on the shoulder.
"Aren't we family now? We should see each other often. Heh heh heh...."
"Oh, right!"
Do Tong-dal spoke as the thought suddenly struck him.
"It's about the Second Imperial Princess."
"Your wife?"
"Your Majesty...."
"All right, speak."
"She says she wants to go to the battlefield."
"To the battlefield?"
"Yes. My objections didn't do a bit of good, so I told her I'd take her along if she got Your Majesty's permission."
Ju Hyeong-seon was horrified.
"You pushed Seo-in off onto me?"
"So please make her give up, Your Majesty."
"She's your wife. Why are you shoving her onto me?"
Do Tong-dal said in a growling voice.
"You should at least do that much for me."
"Hmph! Fine."
Having left the matter of Ju Seo-in to Ju Hyeong-seon, Do Tong-dal rose from his seat.
"I'll tell Protector Jang to come straight to Liaoning Province."
"You should be prepared for resistance when the Liaoning Province Provincial Commander is replaced. As I already said, Prince Yeongun's influence is strong there."
"Surely they won't try to go to war with us."
"If they try to kill you, that is war."
"Then we'll have to make them feel how badly they picked their opponent."
Ju Hyeong-seon said to Do Tong-dal.
"I should give you a suitable post too."
"Just something like a guard in the Embroidered Uniform Guard will do."
There were military inspection agencies, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot were all-powerful inspection agencies that could investigate not only officials but the military as well. The Embroidered Uniform Guard could be more feared than the military inspection agencies.
"Senior third-rank Deputy Commissioner would be suitable. You're a Prince Consort, so you ought to have at least that rank."
Do Tong-dal said playfully, "I am overwhelmed by Your Majesty's grace," and Ju Hyeong-seon played along with a joke of his own: "Indeed! That's how it should be."
"Your Majesty should rest now. Prince Consort Do and I will handle the rest."
"Please do. My head is already throbbing at the thought of Seo-in coming to find me."
Only after coming outside could No Song-guk breathe freely. When he had rushed to Beijing, he had never dreamed he would become Provincial Commander or meet the Emperor.
He had simply been glad to escape the Southern Barbarians, but he had ended up with an official hat he had never imagined.
No Song-guk trailed along behind Do Tong-dal and Yang Su-pan as they walked ahead. Becoming Provincial Commander still didn't feel real to him.
Yang Su-pan asked Do Tong-dal.
"If war breaks out, can we win?"
"The issue isn't victory or defeat. It's how much damage we take."
"How much damage do you expect?"
"That depends on the strength of the troops and the commander's ability."
After answering, Do Tong-dal asked No Song-guk, "Isn't that right?"
"Of course it is."
"If that damage reaches the common people, this war is as good as lost."
Do Tong-dal's words pressed down on No Song-guk's shoulders.
"There are as many as eight provinces bordering the northern barbarians. Is there a reason to concentrate troops in Liaoning Province?"
"Because Prince Yeongun, who has joined hands with the barbarians, is in Liaoning Province. It's also a place with relatively lax defenses."
"If they defy expectations and attack another province...."
Do Tong-dal cut No Song-guk off.
"That won't happen. What makes the barbarians frightening isn't their numbers."
Of course it was true. The Mongols, a nomadic people who made their home on the vast steppes, inevitably had far fewer troops than the Central Plains.
What made them a threat despite that was their courage and strength. The Mongol army was truly an elite force, each man worth a hundred.
The lesson learned from experience so far was that stopping ten thousand Mongol soldiers required mobilizing at least three hundred thousand men. And those had to be well-trained elites; with a rabble, even five hundred thousand wouldn't be enough.
"They have no reason to scatter their small force here and there. So they'll concentrate on Liaoning Province, and we have to stop the barbarians before they enter the Central Plains."
"That's certainly the best course, but do you have a proper countermeasure?"
"If you're asking me that, then you lack the qualifications to be Provincial Commander."
No Song-guk couldn't argue.
"You're right. I made a mistake."
In his clean admission of fault, one could glimpse No Song-guk's straightforward character.
Do Tong-dal said to Yang Su-pan.
"And please prepare two ranks for Commander No here. One around Thousand-Man Commander would be suitable."
"Why?"
"When the Provincial Commander is replaced, Prince Yeongun will be on guard and will certainly try to kill Commander No. Protector Jang will protect him, so he won't die, but there's no need to invite that kind of trouble."
"Then after you kill Prince Yeongun, you can take the Provincial Commander post yourself."
"I can also get a feel for the atmosphere there in advance, so it kills two birds with one stone."
No Song-guk was startled by their conversation.
"Y-you're going to kill Prince Yeongun?"
"Killing a traitor who joined hands with the barbarians is only natural, isn't it?"
At Yang Su-pan's question, No Song-guk hastily nodded.
"O-of course it is."
No Song-guk couldn't help thinking, "Should I have just stayed in the Southern Barbarians?" Until a fortnight ago, he had been nothing more than a Thousand-Man Commander rolling around in the jungles of the Southern Barbarians.
For a man like him, the waves of such deep water were too high and too rough. His shoulders sagged as if he now carried the world's greatest secret and a heavy burden.
Yang Su-pan said, "I'll go see Commissioner Tae for a bit," and left first.
"Unfortunately, there's no time to collect the debt Commander No owes me."
"What debt?"
"Have you forgotten the promise from the Southern Barbarians?"
"Ah! At the best pleasure house in Beijing!"
"Let's settle it after the war."
"I'll have to save up my monthly pay diligently."
"Monthly pay won't be enough, so take some bribes or something."
"What?"
"Why are you surprised? Like you've never taken a bribe in your life."
"I haven't."
Do Tong-dal read from No Song-guk's expression that it was true.
"Tsk tsk tsk... what an inflexible fellow."
"I've never sat in a position worth bribing... More importantly, how urgent is the war?"
"It could break out as early as today."
"Who will kill Prince Yeongun?"
"I will. I'll have to seize control of the army immediately after killing Prince Yeongun, so get a good grasp of the atmosphere there."
"Understood."
While they were talking, Yang Su-pan returned.
"Here's the list of those who have gone over to Prince Yeongun. There may be more beyond these, but this is as far as the Embroidered Uniform Guard's information goes."
Do Tong-dal took the paper Yang Su-pan handed over and said.
"The rest is for Commander No to go and find out."
No Song-guk sighed.
"So I have to play spy as well."
"Did you think becoming Provincial Commander was easy? If you're not confident, quit now."
"I'll hunt down every last one of them and cut off their heads."
Do Tong-dal said to Yang Su-pan.
"Then we'll be on our way."
"Be careful. I know your abilities, but never let your guard down. And don't forget that your safety comes before the mission."
Yang Su-pan handed over one more slip of paper.
"This is where you'll be staying."
"I could just go and take any inn...."
"We can't treat a Prince Consort like that."
"You seem to enjoy every time you say that title."
"I do. Heh heh heh...."
"Just keep a good hold on the Second Imperial Princess."
With those words, the two left the imperial palace. As they mounted the horses that had been prepared, No Song-guk asked something he had been wondering about the whole time.
"By the way, how did you get to Beijing faster than me?"
"I ran."
"What?"
"You'll probably get a chance to see later."
It would probably be on the battlefield. Do Tong-dal said with a serious expression.
"You need to steel yourself. This will be a war so large it can't be compared to the Southern Barbarians."
No Song-guk swallowed hard and spoke in a resolute voice.
"If the barbarians want to set foot on Central Plains soil, they'll have to step over my corpse first."
* * *