Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Great Battle of Mount Cang
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The sun rose and the day dawned, just like any other.
“Ugh! I'm exhausted.”
I stepped outside shirtless, ready to wash up as usual.
“Kyaa!”
As if she'd been watching from somewhere, Cheong So-so let out a high-pitched scream.
“How many times have I told you not to take your shirt off in the house?! Especially when So-so is here!”
Hearing the commotion, Myo Hyang rushed out from the kitchen.
*It's my house, though...*
Besides, in 500 years, the Beijing bikini would be all the rage, and Chinese men would be walking around shirtless anyway.
But the two of them, oblivious to such distant future trends, unleashed a storm of nagging first thing in the morning.
“I swear, I can't live like this!”
“That's right, sister. Master Jin needs to be scolded more.”
The two of them, perfectly in sync, cornered me.
Watching them display a bond as solid as any military alliance, I couldn't help but regret my past decisions.
*I should have stopped Myo Hyang from working with Cheong So-so.*
Not long ago, Cheong So-so, who had opened a clinic in a corner of the yard, put out a hiring notice.
However, there was one thing neither of us had considered: the workplace, our house, was located right in the middle of Black Serpent Road, which boasted the worst security in all of Nine Dragons Fortress.
In the end, the hiring period closed without a single applicant. Just as a flustered Cheong So-so was wondering what to do about her lack of a nurse, Myo Hyang appeared.
And Cheong So-so, quickly approaching her, had said.
“Four nyang a month!”
And so, the two became employer and employee in public and sisters in private, joining forces to attack me.
“We have to open soon, so eat up!”
Listening to Myo Hyang's voice, which grew sharper by the day, I thought.
*Something is going very wrong.*
***
When I arrived at the headquarters, the place was in a flurry of activity.
Squad leaders were moving about busily, and squad members were opening the armory to inspect weapons.
It was a sight I'd never seen in my two years with the Outer Hall.
I grabbed a passing squad member and asked.
“What's going on?”
“All hell's broken loose. The Southern Heaven Palace bastards have surrounded Mount Cang! The supply route to the mountain has been cut off.”
“...!”
The completely unexpected news left me dumbfounded.
What kind of place was Mount Cang?
Though they had been forced to relocate by the Southern Heaven Palace, was it not the place where the spirit of the Black Dragon Hall was enshrined?
For that reason, the elite of the Black Dragon Hall were always dispatched to the Mount Cang front.
No matter how weak the Black Dragon Hall's influence was within Nine Dragons Fortress, that was only a story within the fortress walls.
In the context of the entire martial world, one couldn't deny they were a powerful force of skilled elites.
To think that such a place was now under siege.
Even if the opponent was the Southern Heaven Palace, known as the hegemon of the southern wilds, it was an unimaginable event.
To hear the details, I went straight to the Vice Hall Master's office.
“You're here?”
“Vice Hall Master! What in the world...?”
And there, I saw someone I never expected to be in this place.
“G-Greetings to the Grand Chancellor!”
It was the Grand Chancellor, the CSO (Chief Strategy Officer) of Nine Dragons Fortress.
Unlike me, a mere team leader in a backwater affiliate like the Outer Hall, he was one of the executives who moved the entire Nine Dragons Fortress.
“Formalities are forbidden in times of war.”
*Times of war?!*
That single phrase from the Grand Chancellor's lips—"times of war"—struck me like a thunderclap.
He turned to the Vice Hall Master and said.
“Then, please relay the message to the Hall Master.”
“Understood.”
*Creeak.*
With those words, the Grand Chancellor left.
At the same time, the Vice Hall Master gave me an order.
“Perfect timing. Seventeenth Squad Leader, bring the Hall Master here at once.”
“Yes, sir.”
Was it because this was an emergency?
The Vice Hall Master had shed his usual relaxed demeanor and returned to being a sharp, peak-level master.
At his stern command, I stepped outside, only to return moments later.
“But where is the Hall Master?”
*You have to tell me where he is.*
***
I found Bukgung Baek at an inn in the outer fortress.
As soon as I spotted him, drinking leisurely so early in the morning, I rushed over.
“Hm? What's going on this early?”
“We're in trouble. The Southern Heaven Palace has surrounded Mount Cang.”
“What's that got to do with us?”
For a so-called commander to react like this... this is why you shouldn't assign positions based on martial skill alone.
But what could I do? In this barbaric martial world, strength was justice, rank, and virtue.
“I don't know the details, but the Grand Chancellor visited the Outer Hall.”
“That old man? Then it must be serious.”
*I told you it was serious from the moment I came in, old man.*
“Yes. That's why the Vice Hall Master sent me to fetch you. Let's go.”
A short while later.
When I returned with Bukgung Baek, all the Outer Hall's squad leaders were gathered.
“Nine! Dragons!”
“At ease.”
The Vice Hall Master immediately began the briefing.
“The Southern Heaven Palace has mobilized over ten thousand troops from a dozen southern tribes to besiege Mount Cang.”
“!!!”
Ten thousand.
Everyone's eyes widened at a number one would only expect to hear in a war between nations.
Bukgung Baek was no different.
Even he, who had roamed the martial world alone for decades and seen it all, seemed shocked, spitting the tea he was drinking back into his cup as he asked.
“Ten thousand?! Is that true?”
“Yes, the Grand Chancellor himself informed us, so there can be no mistake.”
Stunned by the number, everyone in the meeting room fell silent.
Even if you scraped together every martial artist from the nine halls of Nine Dragons Fortress, you would have slightly less than five thousand.
A force of ten thousand was an almost unimaginable number.
Of course, it was unlikely that all of them were martial artists who had trained in martial arts.
If they were, they would be called the Six Hegemons of the World, not the Five.
At most, only a thousand from the Southern Heaven Palace were likely to be martial artists.
The problem lay with the number ten thousand.
The southern tribes, who lived fighting all manner of beasts in the jungle, had always been famous for their belligerence.
For ten thousand of them to be armed was not something to be taken lightly.
*This is what happens when politics is a mess. The country gets plundered.*
For the government to be unable to impose any sanctions when ten thousand armed men were roaming around, no matter how half-ruined the country was...
I felt sorry for Myo Hyang's younger brother, who was studying for the civil service exams to save this rotten country.
“Is this an all-out war?”
“Yes, it is. The Grand Chancellor is planning for an all-out war.”
*Well, we can't just give up Mount Cang...*
Losing Mount Cang was the same as losing our influence over Yunnan Province.
It was barren land, but considering the Ten Demon Alliance had swallowed three provinces whole, it was an absolute non-starter.
Even in StarCraft, if you fall behind in expansions, you're bound to lose the late-game team fight due to sheer numbers.
Besides, for the sake of the Black Dragon Hall, one of the pillars of Nine Dragons Fortress, we couldn't abandon Mount Cang.
In the end, there was only one option left: to repel the southern tribesmen gathered at Mount Cang.
Against this backdrop, the Vice Hall Master continued his briefing.
“First, as an emergency measure, we've decided to dispatch a vanguard by drawing two hundred men from each hall.”
The Fifteenth Squad Leader, the only woman among the squad leaders, raised her hand and asked.
“If we engage the enemy with those numbers, won't the casualties be significant?”
“That's right. So, the Grand Chancellor is planning to have the vanguard buy time while he dispatches elite masters to cut off the enemy's supply lines.”
Not a bad plan.
Of course, it wasn't anything spectacular. It was a strategy any modern person could come up with.
It was just decent for people whose thinking was as rigid as granite.
However, the others couldn't hide their admiration.
“Such a brilliant strategy in such a short time! Truly, the Grand Chancellor is remarkable.”
“As long as the Grand Chancellor is with us, no force in the world can challenge Nine Dragons Fortress.”
“He must be the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang.”
Well, things like that.
After a moment of praise for the Grand Chancellor, Bukgung Baek stood up.
“I'll go myself. Vice Hall Master, issue the reserve summons immediately and assemble the men.”
“I will obey your command.”
***
The next day, before dawn, every member of the Outer Hall had gathered.
A total of over a hundred men from the seventeen squads.
This was both all and only a part of the martial artists currently belonging to the Outer Hall.
What do I mean by that?
*Rumble.*
“Seniors! Please line up over here!”
“Seniors! We'll be checking your attire.”
“Those who have signed the roster, please go over there to receive your weapons. Those who brought their own weapons, please let us know, and we will provide you with protective gear instead!”
It was because of the reservists—no, the reserve warriors belonging to the Outer Hall.
Unlike the other halls, the Outer Hall was an organization without its own source of income.
In other words, it was an organization that was tight on money.
So, when members reached a certain age, they were made to retire and were paid one-fifth of the monthly salary they received during active duty.
It might seem similar to a civil servant's pension, but it wasn't free.
They had a duty to answer the summons when a major event like this occurred.
Also, since they weren't here for free, they couldn't act recklessly towards their juniors like modern reservists.
The number of such veterans was a whopping three hundred.
The relatively young hundred would leave for the front lines, while the rest would be in charge of security in the outer fortress under the Vice Hall Master's command.
Once everyone had assembled, Bukgung Baek appeared with the air of a division commander.
The active Outer Hall warriors quickly saluted.
“Nine! Dragons!”
“Nine Dragons.”
Even Bukgung Baek had started doing the salute.
No matter how I looked at it, this might be the greatest achievement of my life in the Outer Hall.
“Let's go.”
At his word, the entire gathered force began to move out of the fortress.
Nine Dragons Fortress was located just above Chengdu.
It was over a thousand li to Mount Cang.
Even for martial artists, such a march was a great strain on one's stamina.
I decided to execute a project I had been preparing for some time.
“We will sing a marching song during the march. The song is 'Awesome Nine Dragons Fortress'!”
Awesome!
Nine Dragons Fortress!
It's me!
It was a marching song.
Since I had prepared it in advance with the cooperation of the Vice Hall Master and the Second Squad Leader, the men followed along quite well.
The reserve warriors who came with us were bewildered at first, but soon the tune became familiar, and they began to sing along without being told.
I felt proud.
***
We walked and walked, arriving at the first assembly point around sunset.
The Outer Hall had two main tasks in this war: reconnaissance and the construction of a supply base.
So, I began to build simple, temporary structures using the tools and materials I had brought.
“Squad Leader, the Hall Master is looking for you.”
Bukgung Baek's attendant warrior delivered the message.
*At a time like this?*
Did Bukgung Baek, who should be busy planning strategies, have any reason to see me alone?
*Don't tell me he wants the Black Lotus Gauntlets back?*
I went to Bukgung Baek's tent, planning to bluff that I'd left them at home, but I received an unexpected order.
“I'm sorry, I must have misheard you?”
“The carrier pigeons have been blocked, so I want you to run to Mount Cang right now and deliver the news that reinforcements are coming.”
It was the most absurd bullshit I'd ever heard.
How in the world was I supposed to climb Mount Cang when it was surrounded by a force of ten thousand?
“May I refuse?”
“Of course, you can.”
“Then I refuse.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Bukgung Baek tossed a thick bundle of papers at me with a smile on his lips.
*Thud.*
“What is this?”
“It's the confession of the master of the Gold Flower Pavilion, who was imprisoned in the Thunder Prison on charges of human trafficking.”
“......”
The moment I saw it, I almost screamed.
*I heard the Red Dragon Hall had destroyed it.*
“There's an interesting story in there. It says an unidentified young warrior kidnapped him and fought with the Gold Dragon Hall's Flickering Gold Sword who was in pursuit. As you know, he was left half-paralyzed from the wounds he sustained that day.”
“But why bring that up now...?”
“A young warrior in his twenties defeated a peak master from the Gold Dragon Hall using only his bare hands. And in the Outer Hall's territory, no less. Thinking about it, one person comes to mind. So, I was thinking of casually mentioning it to the Gold Dragon Hall Master. What do you think?”
With Bukgung Baek going this far, what choice did I have?
Dying at the hands of the Southern Heaven Palace bastards or the Gold Dragon Hall was all the same.
“Should I depart right this instant, sir?”